Frontispiece.  Meade  Statue. 


Gettysburg  and  Lincoln 

The  Battle,  the  Cemetery,  and 
the  National  Park 


By 

Henry  Sweetser  Burrage 

Brevet  Major,  U.  S.  Vols. 


Illustrated 


G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 
New  York  and  London 

fttiicfccrbocfcec  press 
1906 


COPYRIGHT,  1906 

BY 
HENRY  S.  BURRAGE 

Published,  September,  1906 
Reprinted,  December,  1906 


TO 

LIEUT.- COLONEL  JOHN  P.  NICHOLSON 

SOLDIER  AND   PATRIOT 


330928 


PREFACE 

IN  the  autumn  of  1904,  I  obtained  a  photograph 
of  a  manuscript  copy  of  President  Lincoln's 
Gettysburg  Address.  At  first  I  supposed  I  had  a 
photograph  of  the  original  manuscript,  as  un 
mistakably  the  handwriting  was  Mr.  Lincoln's, 
and  the  copy  was  dated  November  19,  1863,  the 
date  of  the  consecration  of  the  cemetery  at  Gettys 
burg.  But  in  an  extended  search  for  the  facts 
connected  with  the  address,  it  was  made  plain 
that  what  I  had  was  a  photograph  of  a  manuscript 
copy  of  the  address, — a  copy  made  by  Mr.  Lincoln 
in  April,  1864, — and  not  a  photograph  of  the 
original  manuscript.  In  the  course  of  my  in 
vestigations  I  obtained  so  many  interesting  facts 
concerning  the  composition  and  delivery  of 
Mr.  Lincoln's  address  that  I  finally  decided  to 
bring  together  my  material  in  the  form  in  which 
it  appears  in  Part  II  of  this  volume.  The  story 
of  the  battle  and  the  record  of  the  development 


VI 


Preface 


of  the  National  Park  were  added  in  order  to  present 
in  a  connected  way  the  principal  facts  covering  the 
period  from  the  commencement  of  the  Gettysburg 
campaign  to  the  present  time. 

The  principal  sources  of  my  information  concern 
ing  the  battle  are  to  be  found  in  the  "  Official 
Records  of  the  Union  and  Confederate  Armies." 
Other  sources  are  sufficiently  indicated  in  the 
foot-notes.  In  the  preparation  of  the  part  of  the 
work  pertaining  to  the  cemetery  and  President 
Lincoln's  address,  I  am  indebted  to  the  late  Hon. 
John  Hay,  Secretary  of  State,  and  especially  to  an 
article  in  the  Century  Magazine  by  Mr.  John  G. 
Nicolay,  President  Lincoln's  private  secretary. 
Much  material  for  an  account  of  the  development 
of  the  National  Park  was  found  in  Vanderslice's 
History  of  the  Gettysburg  Battle-field  Memorial 
Association,  and  in  the  annual  reports  of  the 
Gettysburg  National  Park  Commission. 

In  various  visits  to  the  battle-field  I  have 
received  invaluable  aid  from  Lieut. -Colonel  John 
P.  Nicholson,  chairman  of  the  Gettysburg  National 
Park  Commission,  also  from  his  associates  on  the 
Commission.  The  maps  indicating  the  position 


Preface  vii 

of  both  armies  July  ist,  2d,  and  3d,  have  received 
the  correction  and  approval  of  Lieut. -Colonel 
E.  B.  Cope,  the  Engineer  of  the  Commission. 
The  illustrations  are  from  photographs  made  by 
the  well-known  Gettysburg  photographer,  W.  H. 
Tipton — a  selection  from  his  large  collection  of 
views  illustrating  the  battle-field. 

H.  S.  B. 

TOGUS,  MAINE,  July  4,  1906. 


CONTENTS 

PART  I.     THE  BATTLE 

PAGE 

I. — LEE  CROSSES  THE  POTOMAC             .          .  3 

II. — GETTYSBURG.     THE  FIRST  DAY      .          .  19 

III. — GETTYSBURG.     THE  SECOND  DAY  .          .  34 

IV.— GETTYSBURG.     THE  THIRD  DAY      .          .  46 

V. — THE  RETREAT      .....  66 

PART  II.     THE  CEMETERY 

I. — ORIGIN  OF  THE  NATIONAL  CEMETERY      .       81 

II. — ARRANGEMENTS  FOR  THE  CONSECRATION 

OF  THE  CEMETERY  .  -87 

III. — PRESIDENT   LINCOLN   GOES   TO  GETTYS 
BURG    ......       95 

IV. — THE  CONSECRATION  SERVICES         .          .      106 

V. — IMPRESSION   MADE   BY   PRESIDENT  LIN 
COLN'S  ADDRESS     ....      122 

VI. — PRESIDENT  LINCOLN'S  REVISION  OF  HIS 

ADDRESS        .....     126 

VII. — PROVISION    FOR    THE    COMPLETION    AND 

MAINTENANCE  OF  THE  CEMETERY     .     136 
ix 


:  Contents 

PART  III.     THE  NATIONAL  PARK 

I. — WORK  OF  THE  GETTYSBURG  BATTLE-FIELD 

MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION           .         .  143 
II. — WORK    OF   THE    NATIONAL  PARK  COM 
MISSION         .....  163 
APPENDIX  A       .....  190 

B 203 

C 204 

D 207 

INDEX       .         .         .         .         .         .  215 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 


THE  MEADE  STATUE     .          .          .  Frontispiece 

MAJ.-GEN.  GEORGE  G.  MEADE           ...  14 

THE  REYNOLDS  STATUE.          ....  20 

GETTYSBURG'S  HERO,  JOHN  BURNS            .          .  24 
LITTLE  ROUND  TOP         ...                    -34 

THE  PEACH  ORCHARD      .....  36 

RICKETTS'S  BATTERY,  EAST  CEMETERY  HILL     .  38 

THE  WARREN  STATUE  ON  LITTLE  ROUND  TOP   .  40 

GEN.  MEADE'S  HEADQUARTERS         ...  44 

THE  SCENE  OF  PICKETT'S  CHARGE  ...  54 

LITTLE  AND  BIG  ROUND  TOPS           ...  58 

THE  HANCOCK  STATUE   .....  66 

MAIN  AVENUE,  NATIONAL  CEMETERY        .          .  82 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN          .....  96 

THE  ENTRANCE  TO  THE  NATIONAL  CEMETERY    .  102 

THE  GRAVES  IN  THE  NATIONAL  CEMETERY         .  136 

MONUMENT  IN  THE  NATIONAL  CEMETERY            .  138 
THE   NEW  YORK    STATE    MONUMENT    IN   THE 

NATIONAL  CEMETERY        ....  144 

THE  SWALE  NEAR  SPANGLER'S  SPRING      .          .  148 
THE  HIGH-WATER  MARK  MONUMENT        .          .158 

THE  BRIGADE  TABLET    .....  164 

CROSS-SECTION,  TELFORD  AVENUE  FOUNDATION  166 

TOWER  ON  CONFEDERATE  AVENUE  .          .170 

xi 


xii  Illustrations 


PAGE 


HANCOCK  AVENUE,  LOOKING  NORTH         .         .174 
CONFEDERATE  AVENUE  .          .          .          .176 

THE  SLOCUM  STATUE 180 

A  FINISHED  AVENUE  WITH  PAVED  GUTTERING.     186 


DIAGRAMS 

FIRST  DAY    .......  20 

SECOND  DAY          ......  34 

THIRD  DAY  .  48 


PART  I 
THE  BATTLE 


THE    BATTLE 


CHAPTER  I 

LEE  CROSSES  THE  POTOMAC 

AFTER  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  Hooker 
reorganized  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The 
following  generals  were  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  several  corps  of  the  army:  to  the  First, 
Reynolds;  to  the  Second,  Hancock;  to  the  Third, 
Sickles ;  to  the  Fifth,  Meade ;  to  the  Sixth,  Sedgwick ; 
to  the  Eleventh,  Howard ;  and  to  the  Twelfth, 
Slocum.  The  Cavalry  Corps  was  commanded  by 
Brigadier-General  George  Stoneman,  and  consisted 
of  three  divisions  under  Pleasonton,  Averill,  and 
Gregg,  together  with  the  Regular  Reserve  Cavalry 
Brigade  commanded  by  Buford.  On  May  22, 
1863,  Stoneman  was  relieved  from  duty  with  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  as  also  v/as  Averill,  and 
the  command  of  AveriU'c  division  devolved  on 
Colonel  Duffic  of  the  First  Rhode  Island  Cav 
alry.  To  General  Hunt  was  given  the  artil 
lery  command,  which  consisted  of  sinty-five 

3 


The  Battle 


batteries,  with  three  hundred  and  seventy  guns. 
The  entire  force  numbered  about  eighty-two 
thousand  men,  which  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg  had  been  increased  to  a  little  more 
than  ninety  thousand. 

At  the  same  tirio  Lee  d'vided  his  nine  divisions 
of  the  Army  of  Northern  ^  jinia,  hitherto  brought 
together  in  two  army  corps  commanded  by  Long- 
street  and  Jackson,  into  three  army  corps  of  three 
divisions  each.  Longstreet  retained  the  command 
of  the  First,  Ewell  was  assigned  to  the  Second,  and 
A.  P.  Hill  to  the  Third.  The  artillery,  which  hith 
erto  had  been  divided  among  the  several  divisions 
of  the  tv/o  corps,  was  now  placed  under  the  com 
mand  of  General  W.  N.  Pendleton,  and  comprised 
fifteen  battalions,  each  composed  of  four  batteries 
of  four  pieces,  sixteen  in  all.  These  fifteen  battal 
ions  were  divided  among  the  three  corps,  each  re 
ceiving  five  battalions  or  eighty  guns.  With  the 
cavalry  were  five  mounted  batteries  of  six  pieces 
each.  The  whole  gave  Lee  two  hundred  and  sev 
enty  guns.  The  cavalry,  in  a  single  division,  was 
under  the  command  of  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart. 
Lee's  whole  force  is  estimated  at  about  seventy- 
eight  thousand  men. 

While  Lee  was  engaged  in  reorganizing  his  army, 
he  was  at  the  same  time  busy  in  planning  an  inva 
sion  of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania.  Such  an  inva- 


Lee  Crosses  the  Potomac  5 

sion  promised  relief  to  Pemberton's  army  besieged 
by  Grant  at  Vicksburg.  It  was  also  thought  that  a 
campaign  on  Northern  soil  would  be  helpful  to  the 
Confederate  cause  abroad.  The  time  seemed  fa 
vorable  for  a  movement  of  this  kind.  It  was  known 
that  in  May  and  June  Hooker's  army  would  lose 
about  fifteen  thousand  men  by  the  expiration  of 
their  term  of  service.  Moreover,  defeat  at  Fred- 
ericksburg  and  Chancellorsville,  it  was  supposed, 
had  so  dampened  the  ardor  of  the  North  with  refer 
ence  to  the  war  as  to  make  the  enlistment  of  new 
troops  more  and  more  difficult.  It  was  also  thought 
that  the  proposed  invasion  would  furnish  an  occa 
sion  for  developing  among  those  who  had  been  half 
hearted  hitherto  a  feeling  of  hostility  to  the  further 
prosecution  of  the  war.  On  the  other  hand,  Lee  was 
receiving  enthusiastic  recruits.  To  his  men,  flushed 
with  victory  and  eager  for  an  aggressive  campaign 
on  Northern  soil,  no  task  seemed  too  great.  The 
failure  of  the  Maryland  campaign,  in  1862,  was 
either  forgotten  or  lightly  passed  over.  The  right 
time  for  a  successful  invasion  of  the  North  seemed 
to  have  come,  and  Lee  and  his  officers  bent  all  their 
energies  to  preparations  for  transferring  the  seat  of 
war  from  Virginia  to  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania. 
At  length  all  was  ready.  Lee  was  at  the  head  of 
a  solid,  strong,  effective  body  of  men.  Leaving 
Hill's  corps  at  Fredericksburg  in  order  to  detain 


6  The  Battle 

Hooker  in  his  present  quarters  by  the  display  of  a 
large  Confederate  force  in  that  place  and  vicinity, 
Lee  concentrated  the  rest  of  his  army  at  Culpeper 
Court-House,  near  his  cavalry  headquarters.  But 
Hooker  was  not  unmindful  of  the  fact  that  Lee  was 
meditating  a  movement  northward.  This  he  had 
learned  from  his  secret-service  helpers,  and  on  May 
28th  he  informed  President  Lincoln  that  the  Army 
of  Northern  Virginia  was  about  to  make  an 
advance  in  that  direction. 

At  the  same  time  Hooker  was  busy  with  prob 
lems  having  reference  to  his  own  movements  for  the 
purpose  of  thwarting  the  enemy.  One  thing  he 
deemed  essential  in  order  to  a  successful  prosecu 
tion  of  his  plans,  namely  that  he  should  have  the 
control  of  all  the  forces  operating  against  Lee ;  and 
in  a  telegram  to  the  President  he  sought  to  impress 
this  suggestion  upon  the  mind  of  the  chief  execu 
tive.  "Under  instructions  from  the  Major-Gen eral 
commanding  the  army,  dated  January  3ist, "  he 
said,  "  I  am  instructed  to  keep '  in  view  always  the 
importance  of  covering  Washington  and  Harper's 
Ferry,  either  directly  or  by  so  operating  as  to  be 
able  to  punish  any  force  of  the  enemy  sent  against 
them. '  In  the  event  the  enemy  should  move,  as  I 
almost  anticipate  he  will,  the  head  of  his  column 
will  probably  be  headed  toward  the  Potomac,  via 
Gordonsville  or  Culpeper,  while  the  rear  will  rest  on 


Lee  Crosses  the  Potomac  7 

Fredericksburg.  After  giving  the  subject  my  best 
reflection,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  my  duty  to 
pitch  into  his  rear,  although  in  so  doing  the  head  of 
his  column  may  reach  Warrenton  before  I  can  re 
turn.  Will  it  be  within  the  spirit  of  my  instruc 
tions  to  do  so?"  1 

In  his  reply  to  this  telegram,  Mr.  Lincoln,  on  the 
same  date,  said :  "  So  much  of  professional  military 
skill  is  requisite  to  answer  it,  that  I  have  turned  the 
task  over  to  General  Halleck.  He  promises  to  per 
form  it  with  his  utmost  care.  I  have  but  one  idea 
which  I  think  worth  suggesting  to  you,  and  that  is, 
in  case  you  find  Lee  coming  to  the  north  of  the 
Rappahannock,  I  would  by  no  means  cross  to  the 
south  of  it.  If  he  should  leave  a  rear  force  at  Fred 
ericksburg,  tempting  you  to  fall  upon  it,  it  would 
fight  in  intrenchments  and  have  you  at  disadvan 
tage,  and  so,  man  for  man,  worst  you  at  that  point, 
while  his  main  force  would  in  some  way  be  getting 
an  advantage  of  you  northward.  In  one  word,  I 
would  not  take  any  risk  of  being  entangled  upon  the 
river,  like  an  ox  jumped  half  over  a  fence  and  liable 
to  be  torn  by  dogs  front  and  rear,  without  a  fair 
chance  to  gore  one  way  or  kick  the  other.  If  Lee 
would  come  to  my  side  of  the  river,  I  would  keep  on 
the  same  side,  and  fight  him  or  act  on  the  defense, 

1  Official  Records  of  the  Union  and  Confederate  Armies, 
serial  xliii.,  p.  30. 


8  The  Battle 

according  as  might  be  my  estimate  of  his  strength 
relatively  to  my  own.  But  these  are  mere  sugges 
tions,  which  I  desire  to  be  controlled  by  the  judg 
ment  of  yourself  and  General  Halleck.  "  1 

General  Halleck,  in  his  reply  to  this  telegram, 
assured  Hooker  that  by  his  instructions  of  January 
3  ist,  he  was  left  entirely  free  to  act  as  circumstances 
might  require  with  the  simple  injunction  "to  keep 
in  view  the  safety  of  Washington  and  Harper's  Fer 
ry.  "  Should  Lee  leave  a  part  of  his  forces  in  Fred- 
ericksburg,  while  with  the  head  of  his  column  he 
moved  by  Gordonsville  or  Culpeper  toward  the  Po 
tomac,  he  thought  that  such  a  movement  would  give 
Hooker  great  advantages  upon  his  flank  to  cut  him 
in  two,  and  fight  his  divided  forces.  "  Would  it  not 
be  more  advantageous  to  fight  his  movable  column 
first,  instead  of  first  attacking  his  intrenchments, 
with  your  own  forces  separated  by  the  Rappahan- 
nock?" 

Lee  commenced  his  movement  for  the  concen 
tration  of  his  army  at  Culpeper,  June  3d.  A 
change  in  the  encampments  of  the  enemy  was 
early  discovered  by  observers  within  Hooker's  line. 
On  the  evening  of  the  day  in  which  Hooker  sent  his 
telegram  to  the  President,  and  received  in  return 
the  above  comments  made  by  the  President  and 

1  Official  Records  of  the  Union  and  Confederate  Armies,  serial 
xliii.,  p.  31. 


Lee  Crosses  the  Potomac  9 

General  Halleck,  he  informed  the  President 
that  he  had  concluded  to  make  a  demonstration  on 
the  enemy  by  throwing  a  couple  of  bridges  across 
the  Rappahannock  at  Franklin's  Crossing,  in  order 
to  learn  if  possible  what  the  enemy  was  doing. 
On  the  pontoons  thus  laid,  Sedgwick  crossed  the 
river  that  afternoon,  captured  about  fifty  prisoners, 
who  reported  that  the  changes  noticed  in  their 
camps  proceeded  from  the  reorganization  of  their 
army.  It  was  said  that  all  of  Longstreet's  com 
mand  was  with  Lee,  and  that  Lee  had  no  infantry 
force  higher  up  the  Rappahannock  than  its  junc 
tion  with  the  Rapid  an.  But  this  information, 
which  was  misinformation,  did  not  satisfy  Hooker 
long,  and  on  June  7th  he  ordered  Pleasonton  to 
make  a  reconnaisance  in  the  direction  of  Culpeper. 
Two  infantry  brigades  were  added  to  his  command. 
It  was  an  opportune  movement.  Stuart  had  invited 
Lee  to  review  the  Confederate  cavalry  at  Brandy 
Station  on  the  8th.  The  review  was  held,  and,  as 
Stuart  designed,  made  an  impressive  display. 
On  the  evening  of  that  day,  Stuart  bivouacked 
near  the  station,  establishing  his  headquarters  on 
Fleetwood  Hill.  His  force  amounted  to  about  nine 
thousand  five  hundred  men.  The  Union  force  was 
not  as  large.  Pleasonton,  in  his  movement,  kept 
his  communications  open  by  means  of  the  infantry, 
and  directed  his  division  commanders  to  rendez- 


io  The  Battle 

vous  at  Brandy  Station,  supposing  Stuart  to  be  at 
Culpeper.  While  Duffie  was  advancing  by  way  of 
Stevensburg,  Buford  with  his  division  came  upon 
the  enemy  between  Brandy  Station  and  Beverly 
Ford.  A  sharp  contest  lasting  several  hours  fol 
lowed,  and  then  Buford  withdrew.  Later  Gregg 
encountered  Stuart,  getting  into  his  rear,  but  like 
Buford  he  fought  alone,  and  after  a  brisk,  sharp 
engagement,  Gregg  withdrew.  But  so  severely 
was  Stuart  handled  by  both  Buford  and  Gregg 
that  infantry  supports  were  required  by  Stuart 
in  resisting  them,  a  fact  that  revealed  to 
Pleasonton  the  presence  of  Lee's  infantry  in 
the  neighborhood ,  and  indicated  that  a  movement 
northward  on  Lee's  part  had  already  commenced. 

In  the  cavalry  engagement  at  Brandy  Station, 
Gregg  commanded  his  own  division  (the  Third)  and 
Duffle's  (the  Second).  Subsequently  the  Cavalry 
Corps  was  again  reorganized,  and  comprised  two 
divisions,  the  first  commanded  by  Buford  and  the 
second  by  Gregg.  Each  of  the  divisions  consisted 
of  three  brigades.  Stuart's  force  was  badly  crippled 
at  Brandy  Station,  while  the  effect  of  that  engage 
ment  upon  Pleason ton's  force  was  highly  inspiriting. 

Ewell  left  Culpeper,  June  loth,  with  orders  to 
clear  the  valley  of  the  Union  forces  then  occupying 
its  lower  part.  On  June  nth,  Milroy,  who  was  at 
Winchester  with  a  large  Union  garrison,  when 


Lee  Crosses  the  Potomac  1 1 

informed  of  Confederate  movements  in  the  valley— 
a  cavalry  raid  by  Stuart  having  been  mentioned  in 
a  despatch  from  Halleck — expressed  confidence  in 
his  ability  to  hold  his  position  against  any  force 
the  enemy  could  bring  against  him.  As  late  as 
June  1 2th,  General  Schenck,  to  whose  command 
Milroy  belonged,  telegraphed  to  General  Halleck, 
"  Have  you  any  knowledge  or  belief  that  there  is 
any  rebel  infantry  in  the  valley  or  north  of  the  Rap- 
pahannock,  or  this  side  of  the  Blue  Ridge?  There 
seems  to  me  to  be  yet  only  parties  of  cavalry. " 
On  the  1 4th,  Ewell  attacked  Milroy,  whose  force 
easily  and  speedily  was  "  shattered  and  scattered," 
Milroy  with  the  remnant  of  his  command  falling 
back  to  Harper's  Ferry,  abandoning  his  artillery 
and  wagon-trains,  also  his  sick  and  wounded. 

Hooker  left  his  position  opposite  Fredericksburg 
June  1 3th,  and  proceeded  to  place  his  army  on  the 
line  of  the  Orange  and  Alexandria  railroad.  Rey 
nolds  was  in  command  of  the  left  wing  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  consisting  of  the  First,  Third,  and 
Eleventh  corps,  Doubleday  succeeding  him  in  the 
command  of  the  First  Corps .  Hooker  was  with  the 
right  wing  of  the  army  embracing  the  Second, 
Fifth,  Sixth,  and  Twelfth  corps.  With  the  dis 
appearance  of  the  Sixth  Corps  from  Stafford 
Heights — the  last  of  the  Union  troops  to  leave- 
Hill  started  for  Culpeper.  Longstreet  left  Cul- 


12  The  Battle 

peper  June  i5th,  with  orders  to  move  along  the 
eastern  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  covering  the 
Confederate  advance  with  Stuart's  cavalry,  which 
took  its  place  between  Longstreet's  corps  and  the 
Union  army.  While  engaged  in  this  movement, 
and  while  Hill  was  entering  the  valley  in  his  rear, 
Longstreet  found  that  Lee  had  so  far  modified  his 
plan  as  to  authorize  Stuart,  when  the  opportunity 
should  arrive,  to  cross  the  Potomac  in  Hooker's 
rear  with  three  of  his  five  brigades,  and  pass 
ing  around  his  right  to  rejoin  the  main  body  of 
the  army  in  its  northward  march — a  fatal  mistake 
on  Lee's  part,  for  in  his  "  nomadic  ride,"  as  Long- 
street  calls  it,  Stuart  left  Lee  without  the  means 
of  securing  needed  information  concerning  the 
whereabouts  of  the  Union  army,  while  the  results 
of  Stuart's  raid  were  of  the  most  meagre  kind . 

On  June  22d,  Lee's  force  was  so  well  in  hand  that 
he  ordered  Ewell  to  cross  the  Potomac  and  move 
his  columns  toward  the  Susquehanna  by  way  of 
Emmittsburg,  Chambersburg,  and  McConnellsburg. 
"If  Harrisburg  comes  within  your  means,"  he 
added,  "capture  it.  "  Ewell  crossed  the  Potomac 
on  the  23d,  at  Shepherdstown.  Longstreet's  corps 
crossed  at  Williamsport  on  the  24th.  Hill,  with  his 
corps,  was  on  the  Maryland  side  one  day  later. 
The  three  corps  came  together  at  Hagerstown,  Md. 
On  the  2  7th, Longstreet  and  Hill  were  at  Chambers- 


Lee  Crosses  the  Potomac  13 

burg,  Pa.  Rodes  and  Johnson's  divisions  of  E well's 
corps  had  at  that  time  advanced  as  far  as  Carlisle, 
while  Early 's  division  was  on  the  way  to  York,  via 
Greenwood  and  Gettysburg.  Early  pushed  on  rap 
idly,  and  succeeded  in  breaking  the  railroad  be 
tween  Baltimore  and  Harrisburg  on  the  28th,  but 
was  unable  to  seize  the  bridge  over  the  Susquehan- 
na  at  Wrightsville  as  he  hoped,  the  bridge  before  his 
arrival  having  been  burned  by  a  small  militia  force ; 
and  he  accordingly  retired  to  York,  where  he  bivou 
acked  that  night.  Lee,  receiving  intelligence  to 
the  effect  that  Hooker  had  crossed  the  Potomac  and 
was  moving  northward — not  knowing,  however, 
how  far  or  in  what  direction  he  had  advanced — now 
ordered  Ewell  to  retrace  his  steps  and  re  join  the 
rest  of  the  army  at  Cashtown,  whither  Hill  was 
directed  to  move  his  corps  on  the  2oth,  while 
Longstreet  was  to  follow  on  the  next  day. 

Swell's  movement  secured  needed  supplies  for 
Lee's  army,  but  at  the  same  time  it  served  most 
effectively  to  arouse  the  people  of  Pennsylvania 
to  the  dangers  that  threatened  them;  indeed  it 
quickened  the  war  spirit  throughout  the  North  as 
nothing  else  could  have  done.  Governor  Curtin  of 
Pennsylvania  called  for  sixty  thousand  men  for 
the  defence  of  the  Keystone  State,  and  the  call 
was  promptly  answered.  Enlistments  were  now 
hastened  in  all  of  the  States. 


14  The  Battle 

Meanwhile  Hooker  was  making  his  way  north 
ward,  covering  the  capital  in  his  march.  He  began 
to  cross  the  Potomac  at  Edward's  Ferry  on  the 
25th,  and  the  crossing  was  completed  on  the  fol 
io  wing  day.  The  First  and  Third  corps  encamped 
near  Middletown,  while  the  Eleventh  Corps  ad 
vanced  to  Boonsborough.  The  Second,  Fifth,  and 
Sixth  corps  were  halted  at  Frederick,  while  the 
Twelfth  was  sent  to  Harper's  Ferry.  In  connection 
with  this  corps  Hooker  desired  to  use  the  garrison  at 
Harper's  Ferry  in  a  movement  on  Lee's  commun 
ications,  but  Halleck  refused  to  give  his  consent, 
and  on  the  28th,  Hooker,  regarding  this  refusal  as 
an  indication  that  his  plans  would  continue  to  be 
thwarted  by  Halleck,  asked  to  be  relieved  of  his 
command,  and  the  request  was  granted. 

In  making  his  request  to  be  relieved,  General 
Hooker  said:  "My  original  instructions  require  me 
to  cover  Harper's  Ferry  and  Washington.  I  have 
now  imposed  upon  me,  in  addition,  an  enemy  in  my 
front  of  more  than  my  number.  I  beg  to  be  under 
stood  ,  respectfully,  but  firmly,  that  I  am  unable  to 
comply  with  this  condition  with  the  means  at  my 
disposal."1  Hooker's  desire  to  increase  his  effec 
tive  force  by  the  addition  of  troops  at  Harper's 
Ferry  and  vicinity  was  a  reasonable  one,  but  he 

*  Official  Records  of  the  Union  and  Confederate  Armies,  serial 
xliii,  p.  60. 


Major-General  George  G.  Meade. 


Lee  Crosses  the  Potomac  15 

certainly  overestimated  the  strength  of  Lee's  army 
in  comparison  with  his  own. 

General  Meade,  commanding  the  Fifth  Corps,  was 
made  Hooker's  successor.  In  his  letter  to  Meade 
accompanying  the  order  which  placed  him  in  com 
mand  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  General 
Halleck  said:  "You  will  not  be  hampered  by  any 
minute  instructions  from  these  headquarters. 
Your  army  is  free  to  act  as  you  may  deem  proper 
under  the  circumstances  as  they  arise.  You  will, 
however,  keep  in  view  the  important  fact  that  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  is  the  covering  army  of  W  ash- 
ington,  as  well  as  the  army  of  operation  against  the 
invading  forces  of  the  rebels.  You  will,  therefore, 
maneuver  and  fight  in  such  a  manner  as  to  cover 
the  capital  and  also  Baltimore,  as  far  as  circum 
stances  will  admit.  Should  General  Lee  move  upon 
either  of  these  places,  it  is  expected  that  you  will 
either  anticipate  him  or  arrive  so  as  to  give  him 
battle.  All  forces  within  the  sphere  of  your  opera 
tions  will  be  held  subject  to  your  orders.  Harper's 
Ferry  and  its  garrison  are  under  your  direct  orders."1 

The  command  of  the  Fifth  Corps  was  now  given 
to  one  of  its  division  commanders,  General  George 
Sykes.  A  reorganization  of  the  cavalry  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  took  place  on  the  2  8th .  Kil- 

»  Official  Records  of  the  Union  and  Confederate  Armies,  serial 
xliii.  p.  61. 


1 6  The  Battle 

patrick,  who  had  commanded  a  brigade  in  Gregg's 
division,  was  placed  in  command  of  Stahel's  divi 
sion,  which  was  then  added  to  the  Cavalry  Corps 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  as  the  Third  Division. 
Buford  was  left  in  command  of  the  First  Division 
and  Gregg  of  the  Second. 

On  the  morning  of  the  29th,  after  ascertaining 
the  position  of  the  several  corps  of  his  command, 
Meade  continued  the  movement  of  the  army 
northward,  directing  the  left  wing,  consisting  of  the 
First,  Third,  and  Eleventh  corps  under  Reynolds, 
to  proceed  to  Emmittsburg,  while  he  advanced  his 
right  wing  as  far  as  New  Windsor.  The  Cavalry 
Corps  was  in  the  advance,  Buford  on  the  left,  Kil- 
patrick  in  front,  and  Gregg  on  the  right. 

At  ii  A.  M.  on  the  2pth,  in  the  following  telegram 
to  General  Halleck,  Meade  disclosed  his  general 
purpose  as  follows :  "  If  Lee  is  moving  for  Baltimore, 
I  expect  to  get  between  his  main  army  and  that 
place.  If  he  is  crossing  the  Susquehanna,  I  shall 
rely  upon  General  Couch,  with  his  force,  holding 
him  until  I  can  fall  upon  his  rear  and  give  him 
battle  which  I  shall  endeavor  to  do.  .  .  .  My 
endeavor  will  be,  in  my  movements,  to  hold  my 
force  well  together,  with  the  hope  of  falling  upon 
some  portions  of  Lee's  army  in  detail. " 

On  the  night  of  June  3oth,  the  position  of  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia  was  as  follows :  General 


Lee  Crosses  the  Potomac  17 

Lee's  headquarters  were  at  Greenwood.  A  part  of 
the  First  Corps  under  Longs treet  was  at  Green 
wood  and  a  part  at  Chamber sburg,  twenty-four 
miles  from  Gettysburg.  A  part  of  the  Second 
Corps  under  Hill  was  at  Heidler sburg, ten  miles  from 
Gettysburg,  and  the  rest  near  Green  Village,twenty- 
three  miles  from  Gettysburg.  A  part  of  the  Third 
Corps  under  Ewell  was  at  Cashtown,  eight  miles 
from  Gettysburg,  and  the  rest  was  at  Greenwood.1 
The  position  of  the  several  corps  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  on  the  same  night  was  as  follows :  The 
First  Corps  was  at  Marsh  Creek  on  the  Emmitts- 
burg  road,  six  miles  from  Gettysburg;  the  Second 
Corps  at  Uniontown,  twenty-two  miles  distant; 
the  Third  Corps  at  Bridgeport,  twelve  miles 
distant ;  the  Fifth  Corps  at  Union  Mills,  fifteen  miles 
distant ;  the  Sixth  Corps  at  Manchester,  twenty-two 
miles  distant ;  the  Eleventh  Corps  at  Emmittsburg, 
twelve  miles  distant;  and  the  Twelfth  Corps  at 
Littletown,  nine  miles  distant.  Buford's  cavalry, 
except  one  brigade  guarding  the  train,  was  at  Get 
tysburg.  Kilpatrick  was  at  Hanover,  thirteen  miles 
distant,  and  Gregg  at  Manchester,  twenty-two  miles 
distant.  The  artillery  reserve  under  Hunt  was  at 
Taneytown  with  Meade  and  the  headquarters  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  fourteen  miles  distant.2 

1Longstreet's  From  Manassas  to  Appomattox,  p.  349. 
aHunt,  Battles  and  Leaders  of  the  Civil  War,  vol.  iii.,  p.  273. 


i8  The  Battle 

On  that  day,  Heth,  commanding  a  division  in 
Hill's  corps,  ordered  Pettigrew's  brigade  to  proceed 
from  Cashtown  to  Gettysburg  in  order  to  procure 
for  his  men  a  supply  of  shoes, which  it  was  supposed 
the  stores  of  the  place  could  supply,  notwithstand 
ing  the  heavy  draft  Early  had  made  upon  them  a 
few  days  before.  As  Pettigrew,  about  half-past 
nine,1  was  entering  the  town — he  came  as  far  as 
the  crest  of  Seminary  Hill — he  probably  learned  of 
the  approach  of  Buford's  cavalry,  and  ignorant  as 
to  the  strength  of  the  Union  force  he  retired  without 
any  effort  to  take  possession  of  the  place.  Falling 
back  to  Marsh  Creek,  Pettigrew  halted  his  men  for 
the  night,  and  then  hurried  on  to  Cashtown  to 
report  the  presence  of  Union  troops  at  Gettysburg. 

Buford,  who  about  half -past  eleven  entered  the 
town,  and  moved  out  on  the  Chambersburg  pike 
as  far  as  the  McPherson  farm,  likewise  informed 
his  superior  officers  of  Pettigrew's  approach  and 
retirement.  From  what  he  learned  in  questioning 
stragglers  picked  up  by  his  scouts,  he  was  satisfied 
that  Lee's  army  was  not  far  away.  His  own 
small  force  of  about  four  thousand  men  he  placed 
in  position  as  the  day  drew  to  a  close,  and  awaited 
the  developments  which  he  felt  sure  the  next  day 
would  bring. 

» Notes  on  the  Rebel  Invasion  of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania, 
by  Professor  M.  Jacobs,  1864,  p.  21. 


CHAPTER  II 

GETTYSBURG.      THE  FIRST  DAY 

HAVING  accomplished  the  concentration  of  his 
army  at  Cashtown,  Lee  now  set  his  columns 
in  motion  toward  Gettysburg.  At  five  o'clock,  on 
the  morning  of  July  ist,  Hill,  taking  the  divisions 
of  Heth  and  Fender,  was  on  his  way  to  the  place. 
On  approaching  Gettysburg,  he  found  Gamble's  and 
Devin's  brigades  of  Buford's  cavalry  dismounted 
holding  the  ridges  west  of  the  town,  their  skirm 
ishers  well  out  in  advance,  it  being  Buford's  pur 
pose  to  hold  the  enemy  in  check  as  long  as  possible 
in  order  that  Reynolds  might  reach  the  field  with 
his  infantry,  while  the  Confederates  were  still  on 
that  side  of  Gettysburg. 

The  rest  of  Lee's  army  was  to  follow.  Long- 
street  says  Lee  asked  him  to  ride  with  him  that 
morning,  and  that  he  found  Lee  in  his  usual  cheer 
ful  spirits.  Longstreet's  column,  on  leaving 
Greenwood,  had  not  proceeded  far  before  it  encoun 
tered  Johnson's  division  of  E well's  corps,  which  cut 
in  on  his  front  with  all  of  E  well's  reserve  and  supply 
trains.  Lee  ordered  Longstreet  to  halt,  directing 

19 


20  The  Battle 

Johnson's  division  and  trains  to  pass  on  and  join 
Ewell.  Not  long  after,  the  report  of  cannon  was 
heard,  apparently  beyond  Cashtown,  and  as  the 
firing  increased  Lee  left  Longstreet,  and  hurried 
toward  Gettysburg.  He  knew  that  Meade  was  not 
far  away,  and  the  need  of  his  cavalry,  as  a  means 
of  securing  information,  he  now  felt  more  keenly 
than  ever. 

Meade's  orders  for  the  day  were  as  follows: 
The  First  and  Eleventh  Corps  were  to  proceed  to 
Gettysburg;  the  Second  to  Taneytown;  the  Third 
to  Emmittsburg;  the  Fifth  to  Hanover;  and  the 
Twelfth  to  Two  Taverns,  Slocum  being  directed  to 
take  command  of  the  Fifth  Corps  as  well  as  his  own. 
The  Sixth  Corps  was  left  at  Manchester.  At  the 
same  time  Meade  ordered  his  engineer  officers  to 
select  a  battle-ground  for  the  approaching  conflict, 
suggesting  the  general  line  of  Pipe  Creek  as  a 
favorable  position. 

But  the  battle  between  the  approaching  forces 
was  not  to  be  fought  at  Pipe  Creek.  Events  were 
already  in  progress  interrupting  the  Union  com 
mander's  plans.  Buford,  on  the  morning  of  July 
ist,  had  his  scouts  far  out  on  the  roads  westward 
and  northward  of  Gettysburg.  As  early  as  six 
o'clock  reports  came  to  him  that  the  enemy  was 
again  approaching.  The  disposition  of  his  little 
force  had  already  been  made.  Devin's  brigade,  on 


Reynolds's  Statue. 


Gettysburg.     The  First  Day.         21 

the  right,  was  in  line  between  the  Mummasburg 
road  and  the  railway  cut.  Gamble's  brigade  ex 
tended  the  line  to  the  left  as  far  as  the  Hagerstown 
road,  his  first  line  being  along  the  banks  of  Wil- 
loughby  Run.  Those  early  morning  hours  to  Bu- 
ford  were  full  of  anxiety.  Would  Reynolds  arrive 
before  his  little  cavalry  command  would  be  swept 
away  by  Hill'c  advance?  The  signal  officer  in  the 
Seminary  tower  at  length  discovered  the  approach 
of  Reynolds'  columns,  and,  not  long  after,  Rey 
nolds  himself,  having  hastened  thitherward  in 
advance  of  his  troops,  met  Buford  at  the  signal 
station  and  received  from  him  a  statement  as  to  the 
situation  in  his  front.  It  was  now  fifteen  minutes 
before  ten,  and  the  strong  force  of  the  enemy  was 
making  things  lively  along  the  whole  Union  line, 
but  Buford  was  confident  that  he  could  hold  on 
until  the  arrival  of  the  First  Corps.  Both  Buford 
and  Reynolds  at  once  rode  out  to  encourage  the 
men  to  maintain  their  ground,  while  Reynolds  sent 
word  to  Wads  worth  to  hurry  forward  his  division 
which  had  the  advance.  Wads  worth,  approaching 
the  town,  found  Reynolds 1  awaiting  him,  and  by  his 
direction, leaving  the  road, moved  his  men  hurriedly 
across  fields  to  Seminary  Ridge  in  front  of  McMil 
lan's  and  Dr.  Schmucker's.  Advancing  then  to  the 


1  Two  Days   of   War.     A   Gettysburg    Narrative,    by    Gen 
eral  Henry  E.  Tremain,  p.  12. 


22  The  Battle 

front, — it  was  now  a  few  minutes  past  ten, — heat 
once  brought  his  two  brigades  into  line  to  relieve 
Buford's  cavalrymen.  Cutler's  brigade  was  placed 
on  the  right  covering  the  Chambersburg  pike, 
while  Meredith's  brigade — the  Iron  Brigade — took 
possession  of  McPherson's  woods. 

Heth,  in  his  advance,  had  ordered  Archer's  bri 
gade  to  attack  on  the  right  of  the  Chambersburg 
pike.  This  brought  him  in  Meredith's  front. 
Davis 's  brigade  was  in  position  on  the  left  of  the 
pike,  with  Pettigrew's  brigade  and  Brocken- 
brough's  — Heth's  old  brigade — in  reserve. 

Hardly  were  Cutler's  men  across  the  Chambers 
burg  pike,  when  they  were  confronted  with  Heth's 
advance.  Wadsworth  was  with  his  men  on  the 
right  of  the  road,  while  Reynolds  gave  his  atten 
tion  to  the  left.  As  Doubled  ay  had  now  come  upon 
the  field  in  advance  of  the  remaining  divisions  of 
the  First  Corps,  Reynolds  directed  him  to  look  out 
for  the  left  of  the  line,  and  he  remained  near  the 
centre.  Meanwhile  Archer's  brigade  was  pushing 
forward  to  gain  McPherson's  woods,  and  it  had 
just  reached  the  woods  when  Meredith  entered 
from  the  other  side.  Reynolds  was  sitting  on  his 
horse  near  the  edge  of  the  woods  awaiting  the 
result  of  Meredith's  advance,  when  he  was  struck 
by  a  ball  and  died  instantly.  This  was  at  half- 
past  ten.  The  great  loss  the  army  had  sustained  in 


Gettysburg.   The  First  Day          23 

Reynolds'  death  was  unknown  to  Meredith's  men. 
In  an  impetuous  charge  they  broke  the  enemy's 
line  and  captured  a  large  part  of  Archer's  brigade, 
including  Archer  himself.  Pressing  forward,  the 
men  of  the  Iron  Brigade  did  not  slacken  their 
pace  in  the  pursuit  of  the  enemy  until  they  had 
crossed  Willoughby  Run.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
Chambersburg  pike,  Davis  also  suffered  severely  at 
the  hands  of  Wads  worth's  men,  and  his  ranks  were 
considerably  thinned .  The  two  brigad  es — Archer's 
and  Davis 's — lost  more  than  half  of  their  effective 
force.  Davis,  however,  compelled  Cutler  to  aban 
don  his  first  line,  and  fall  back  several  hundred 
yards  to  a  ridge  connecting  Oak  Hill  with  Seminary 
Ridge. 

With  Wadsworth's  men  on  the  left  of  the  Cham 
bersburg  pike,  resisting  Heth's  approach  to  Gettys 
burg,  a  citizen  of  the  town,  John  Burns,  over 
seventy  years  of  age,  having  shouldered  his  musket 
in  the  morning  hours,  took  a  place  with  the  skirm 
ishers  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Pennsyl 
vania,  and  was  wounded  three  times. 

"The  enemy  had  now  been  felt,"  says  Heth  in 
his  report,  "and  found  to  be  in  heavy  force  in 
and  around  Gettysburg.  "  In  accordance  with  his 
instructions,  therefore,  he  awaited  the  arrival  of 
reinforcements,  which  he  knew  could  not  be  far 
away. 


24  The  Battle 

When  Reynolds  was  killed,  Doubled  ay  assumed 
the  command,  and  strengthened  his  lines  as  the 
other  divisions  of  the  First  Corps  arrived  upon  the 
field  about  eleven  o'clock.  Howard,  commanding 
the  Eleventh  Corps,  had  held  a  long  conference  with 
Reynolds  the  evening  before,  and  was  directed  by 
him  to  move  his  corps  to  Gettysburg  starting  at 
eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  At  that  time  the 
column  was  set  in  motion,  and  then  Howard  left 
for  Gettysburg  in  advance  of  his  troops.  On  his 
arrival  at  Gettysburg,  he  sent  one  of  his  staff  offi 
cers  to  find  Reynolds  in  order  to  report  to  him  at 
once  in  person.  This  was  about  eleven  o'clock. 
Ascending  to  the  top  of  a  high  building  in  the  town, 
he  had  a  view  of  the  scene  of  the  fighting  thus 
far.  While  he  was  making  this  hasty  survey  of  the 
field,  word  was  brought  to  him  that  Reynolds  had 
been  wounded ,  and  then  at  half -past  eleven  he  was 
told  that  Reynolds  had  been  killed.  The  command 
of  the  left  wing  of  the  army  now  devolved  upon 
Howard  as  the  senior  officer  upon  the  field,  and  he 
turned  over  the  command  of  the  Eleventh  Corps  to 
General  Schurz. 

Of  Reynolds'  plans,  formed  after  his  arrival  at 
Gettysburg,  he  had  of  course  no  information.  So 
good  a  soldier  as  Reynolds,  however,  could  hardly 
have  failed,  even  in  a  brief  examination  of  the 
general  features  of  the  face  of  the  country  about 


Gettysburg's  Hero,  John  Burns. 


Gettysburg.    The  First  Day         25 

Gettysburg,  to  notice  the  high  ground  in  his  rear 
beyond  the  town.  *  Howard  saw  it,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  saw  the  importance  of  seizing  and  holding 
it  in  the  conflict  that  had  already  commenced.  He 
accordingly  established  his  headquarters  near  the 
cemetery,  on  the  highest  point  north  of  the  Balti 
more  pike.  Sending  back  word  for  the  Eleventh 
Corps  to  hasten  forward,  Howard  notified  Meade 
of  the  death  of  Reynolds,  and  requested  Slocum  at 
Two  Taverns  to  bring  up  the  Twelfth  Corps. 

In  order  to  meet  a  request  for  reinforcements, 
made  by  Doubleday,  Howard,  on  the  arrival  of  the 
Eleventh  Corps  between  twelve  and  one  o'clock, 
sent  the  divisions  of  Schimmelpfennig  and  Barlow 

1  General  Henry  E.  Tremain  in  his  Two  Days  of  War.  A 
Gettysburg  Narrative,  says  (pp.  10-12)  that  he  was  sent  by 
Sickles  to  Reynolds  in  the  forenoon  of  July  ist  to  report  that 
Sickles  was  on  the  way  to  Gettysburg.  He  found  Reynolds 
coming  out  of  Gettysburg  on  the  Emmittsburg  road  looking 
for  the  approach  of  Wadsworth.  He  informed  Reynolds 
that  Wadsworth  was  near.  While  there  "where  the  highway 
skirts  a  field  at  the  base  of  the  old  cemetery,"  Reynolds, 
talking  to  himself  as  he  surveyed  rapidly  the  scene,  and 
pointing  toward  Cemetery  Hill,  said:"  That  would  be  a  good 
place,  but  I  would  like  to  save  the  town."  Pausing,  as  his 
eyes  swept  the  horizon  to  the  south  and  west  and  northwest 
he  added,  "If  I  form  there,  it  might  destroy  the  town."  A 
gun  sounded  out  on  Buford's  line,  and  the  quiet  voice  con 
tinued:  "But  I  doubt  if  I  shall  have  time  to  form  the  other 
side  of  the  town."  Meanwhile  Wadsworth  rode  up.  "What 
are  your  wishes,  General  Reynolds?"  Reynolds  pointed  to 
the  west  and  said  "you  had  better  turn  off  here,"  and  Wads- 
worth  led  his  column  across  the  fields  over  Seminary  Ridge 
to  Buford's  relief. 


26  The  Battle 

to  prolong  Doubled  ay's  line  to  the  right  toward 
Oak  Hill,  leaving  Stein wehr's  division  and  apart  of 
the  artillery  on  Cemetery  Hill  in  reserve.  At  an 
early  hour  in  the  afternoon,  Buford  reported  to 
Doubled  ay  the  approach  of  Ewell  from  the  north. 
This  information  was  at  once  sent  to  Howard. 
Before  Howard  was  able  to  seize  Oak  Hill  as  he  had 
hoped,  however,  Ewell  was  in  possession  of  that 
important  position.  Howard  now  changed  the 
front  of  the  Eleventh  Corps  so  as  to  meet  E well's 
assault  when  it  should  come,  while  Devin's  cavalry 
was  moved  so  as  to  cover  the  exposed  flank  of  the 
Eleventh  Corps. 

From  Oak  Hill,  about  half -past  one,  Ewell  opened 
fire  with  his  artillery.  Like  Heth  he  had  been  in 
structed  by  Lee,  should  he  find  the  Union  troops  in 
force  at  Gettysburg,  not  to  bring  on  a  general  en 
gagement  until  the  rest  of  the  army  had  reached 
the  place.  As  he  now  came  upon  the  field,  he  at 
once  found  himself  involved  in  a  battle  already 
begun.  The  situation,  as  he  viewed  it,  seemed  to 
give  promise  of  success,  and  he  decided  to  join  Hill 
in  the  endeavor  to  achieve  it.  E  well's  attack  was 
spirited  and  well  directed.  Later  Early 's  division 
came  up  on  the  Heidlersburg  road,  opened  a  heavy 
artillery  fire,  and  later  he  advanced  his  infantry 
under  Gordon.  The  position  of  the  Eleventh  Corps 
afforded  no  hope  of  effective  service  in  the  face  of 


Gettysburg.    The  First  Day          27 

the  strong  force  which  the  Confederates  now  had 
in  its  front  and  on  its  flank.  In  fact,  in  all  parts 
of  the  field,  as  the  afternoon  wore  away,  the 
pressure  of  the  Confederate  advance  was  increas 
ingly  great.  The  exposed  line  of  the  Eleventh 
Corps  was  gradually  driven  back.  Barlow,  one 
of  Schurz's  division  commanders,  was  severely 
wounded.  The  First  Corps,  which  had  made  a 
strong,  determined  resistance  in  the  face  of  Hill's 
onslaughts,  was  also  compelled  to  yield  one  posi 
tion  after  another  as  the  day  wore  away.  From  all 
parts  of  the  field  earnest  requests  came  to  Howard 
for  reinforcements,  and  both  Slocum  and  Sickles 
were  urged  to  hasten  forward  their  corps  in  order 
that  these  calls  might  be  answered.  About  four 
o'clock  Howard  sent  word  to  Doubleday  to  retire 
to  Cemetery  Hill  if  he  could  not  maintain  his 
position  longer ;  and  a  few  minutes  later,  seeing  the 
necessity  of  withdrawing  all  the  troops  on  the 
other  side  of  the  town  at  once,  he  ordered  the  First 
and  Eleventh  corps  to  fall  back  beyond  the  town, 
and  take  position  on  the  high  ground  in  and  about 
the  cemetery,  the  First  Corps  on  the  left  of  the 
Baltimore  pike  and  the  Eleventh  on  the  right, 
while  Stein wehr's  division  was  so  placed  as  to  pre 
vent  the  enemy  from  attempting  to  follow.  There 
was  some  confusion  as  the  two  commands  came 
through  the  streets  of  the  town.  At  half-past 


28  The  Battle 

four  the  two  corps  had  taken  this  new  position,  and 
Ewell  had  possession  of  the  town. 

About  this  time  Hancock  reached  Gettysburg. 
He  had  come  from  Meade,  who  was  at  Taneytown, 
and  Meade  had  given  to  him  a  verbal  order  placing 
all  the  troops  at  Gettysburg  under  his  command. 
Howard  was  Hancock's  senior  in  rank,  and  the 
announcement  made  by  Hancock  was  very  natur 
ally  not  a  pleasing  one  to  Howard.  In  his  official 
report  of  his  connection  with  the  battle,  however, 
Howard  says:  "We  agreed  at  once  that  there  was 
no  time  for  talking,  and  that  General  Hancock 
should  further  arrange  the  troops  and  place  the 
batteries  upon  the  Baltimore  pike,  while  I  should 
take  the  right  of  the  same. " 

Both  Howard  and  Hancock  have  been  credited 
with  the  selection  of  the  position  taken  by  the 
Union  forces  at  the  close  of  the  first  day's  fighting 
at  Gettysburg.  The  fact,  however,  that  Howard  in 
the  forenoon,  on  assuming  the  command  of  the 
left  wing  of  the  army  after  the  death  of  Reynolds, 
made  Cemetery  Hill  his  headquarters,  ordered 
Stein wehr's  division  to  remain  at  this  point  on  the 
arrival  of  the  Eleventh  Corps,  and  there  rallied  his 
defeated  troops  as  they  fell  back  through  the  town 
— all  before  Hancock's  arrival  at  Gettysburg — 
would  seem  to  establish  the  claim  in  Howard's  be 
half;  and  doubtless  it  was  because  of  these  facts 


Gettysburg.    The  First  Day          29 

that  Congress  coupled  Howard's  name  with 
Meade's  in  the  vote  of  thanks  tendered  not  long 
after  the  battle  to  these  two  officers  "  for  the  skill 
and  heroic  valor"  which  brought  the  battle  at 
Gettysburg  to  a  successful  issue. 

In  the  arrangement  of  the  Union  forces  on  the 
high  ground  back  of  the  town,Wadsworth's  division 
was  sent  to  Gulp's  Hill,  while  the  cavalry  extended 
the  infantry  line  to  the  left,  the  two  bodies  not  fail 
ing  to  make  an  impression  upon  Early  in  his  search 
for  an  opportunity  to  force  the  Union  army  out  of 
its  favorable  position. 

Lee  came  upon  the  field  in  season  to  witness  the 
closing  operations  of  the  day.  Longstreet,  on  his 
arrival  not  long  after, — having  preceded  his  corps 
in  his  desire  to  be  at  the  front, — says  that  after  he 
had  looked  at  the  Union  position,  he  remarked  to 
Lee,  "  We  could  not  call  the  enemy  to  position  bet 
ter  suited  to  our  plans.  All  we  have  to  do  is  to  file 
around  his  left,  and  secure  good  ground  between 
him  and  his  capital. "  Recalling  what  Lee 
had  conceded  before  the  campaign  commenced, 
as  Longstreet  supposed,  namely  that  "the 
policy  of  the  campaign  should  be  one  of  de 
fensive  tactics,"  Longstreet  thought  what  he 
had  said  would  meet  with  Lee's  approval. 
He  was  not  a  little  surprised,  therefore,  when 
the  general  with  considerable  emphasis  replied, 


30  The  Battle 

"If  he  is  there  to-morrow  I  will  attack 
him."1 

It  has  been  thought  by  some  that  Lee  would 
have  adopted  a  wiser  course  if  he  had  made  his  at 
tack  upon  the  Union  lines  at  once,  without  giving 
his  opponents  opportunity  to  concentrate  and 
make  the  position  they  had  taken  defensible,  inas 
much  as  his  force  largely  outnumbered  the  part 
of  Meade's  army  then  present.  It  should  be 
remembered,  however,  that  Lee  did  not  know  this, 
while  he  could  see  at  a  glance  the  strong  natural 
features  of  the  position,  suggesting  delay  until 
his  own  forces  were  well  in  hand. 

Of  course  this  delay  was  of  incalculable  benefit  to 
the  Union  army.  The  troops  lost  no  time  in  mak 
ing  themselves  as  secure  as  the  means  at  their  com 
mand  permitted.  Before  morning  they  were  quite 
well  established  in  their  new  lines,  and  awaited 
only  the  arrival  of  the  other  corps  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  in  order  to  be  ready  for  another 
close  grapple  with  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia. 

Hancock,  in  his  report,  says  that  soon  after  his 
arrival  at  Gettysburg,  he  mad  e  known  to  Meade  the 
situation  as  he  found  it,  "informing  him  that  the 
position  at  Gettysburg  was  a  very  strong  one,  hav 
ing  for  its  disadvantage  that  it  might  be  easily 
turned,  and  leaving  to  him  the  responsibility 
1  From  Manassas  to  Appomattox,  p.  358. 


Gettysburg.    The  First  Day         31 

whether  the  battle  should  be  fought  at  Gettysburg, 
or  at  a  place  first  selected  by  him, "  meaning  Pipe 
Creek.  About  dark  Hancock  started  for  Meade's 
headquarters  at  Taneytown,  fourteen  miles  distant. 
On  his  arrival,  however,  he  found  that  Meade  had 
already  given  orders  for  the  corps  in  his  rear  to  ad 
vance  at  once  to  Gettysburg,  and  was  about  to  pro 
ceed  there  in  person.  Meade  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  accept  Lee's  challenge.  In  an  order  to 
Sedgwick,  directing  him  to  bring  up  his  command 
by  a  forced  march,  he  said:  "A  general  battle 
seems  to  be  impending  to-morrow  at  Gettysburg. 
.  .  .  We  shall  probably  be  largely  outnum 
bered  without  your  presence.  "  All  the  corps  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  not  on  the  field  at  Gettysburg 
were  ordered  to  hasten  thither.  Meade  broke  up 
his  headquarters  at  Taneytown  at  ten  p.  M. 

In  a  despatch  to  General  Halleck,  dated  at  six  P.M. 
July  ist,  Meade  reported  the  situation  as  follows: 
"The  First  and  Eleventh  corps  have  been  engaged 
all  day.  The  Twelfth,  Third,  and  Fifth  have  been 
moving  up,  and  all,  I  hope,  by  this  time  are  on  the 
field.  This  leaves  only  the  Sixth,  which  will  move 
up  to-night.  .  .  .  General  Reynolds  was  killed 
this  morning  early  in  the  action.  I  immediately 
sent  up  General  Hancock  to  assume  command. 
A.  P.  Hill  and  Ewell  are  certainly  concentrating. 
Longstreet's  whereabouts  I  do  not  know.  If  he 


32  The  Battle 

is  not  up  to-morrow,  I  hope  with  the  force  I  have 
concentrated  to  defeat  Hill  and  Ewell.  At  any 
rate,  I  see  no  other  course  than  to  hazard  a  general 
battle.  Circumstances  during  the  night  may  alter 
this  decision,  of  which  I  will  try  to  advise  you.  I 
have  telegraphed  Couch  that  if  he  can  threaten 
E well's  rear  from  Harrisburg  without  endangering 
himself,  to  do  so.  "J  As  to  the  actual  condition  of 
things  in  both  armies  at  the  time  when  this  des 
patch  was  written,  General  Meade  certainly  had  a 
very  inadequate  view.  The  difficulty  of  obtaining 
correct  information  was  greater  for  General  Lee, 

1  Professor  M.  Jacobs,  connected  with  Pennsylvania  Col 
lege  at  Gettysburg,  and  in  Gettysburg  at  the  time  of  the 
battle,  in  his  Notes  on  the  Rebel  Invasion  of  Maryland  and 
Pennsylvania  and  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg,  Philadelphia,  1864, 
says  (p.  28):  "That  portion  of  Rodes'  division  which  lay 
down  before  our  dwelling  for  the  night  was  greatly  elated 
with  the  results  of  the  first  day's  battle.  And  the  same  may 
be  said  of  the  whole  Rebel  army.  They  were  anxious  to 
engage  in  conversation — to  communicate  their  views  and 
feelings,  and  to  elicit  ours.  They  were  boastful  of  themselves, 
of  their  cause,  and  of  the  skill  of  their  officers;  and  were 
anxious  to  tell  us  of  the  unskilful  manner  in  which  some  of 
our  officers  had  conducted  the  fight  which  had  just  closed. 
When  informed  that  General  Archer  and  fifteen  hundred  of 
his  men  had  been  captured,  they  said,  'To-morrow  we  will 
take  all  these  back  again:  and  having  already  taken  five 
thousand  ( !)  prisoners  of  you  to-day,  we  will  take  the  balance 
of  your  men  to-morrow.'  .  .  .  Their  confidence  knew  no 
bounds;  they  felt  assured  that  they  should  be  able,  with 
perfect  ease,  to  cut  up  our  arm}''  in  detail, — fatigued  as  it 
was  by  long  marches  and  yet  scattered,  for  only  two  corps 
had  as  yet  arrived.  Resting  under  this  impression,  they  lay 
down  joyfully  on  the  night  of  the  first  day.  " 


Gettysburg.    The  First  Day         33 

however,  than  it  was  for  General  Meade,  and  the 
former  was  moving  more  blindly  even  than  the 
latter. 


CHAPTER  III 

GETTYSBURG.      THE   SECOND  DAY 

J\ /IEADE  reached  Gettysburg  at  one  A.M.,  July 
*  "  *  2d,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  light  he  made  an 
inspection  of  his  lines.  In  this  inspection  he  found 
the  Eleventh  Corps  occupying  Cemetery  Hill. 
Schurz's  division  was  across  the  Baltimore  pike, 
with  Stein wehr's  on  the  left  and  Ames's  on  the 
right  and  rear.  Wads  worth,  of  the  First  Corps, 
was  on  Ames's  right.  Robinson  was  on  the  left  of 
Steinwehr,  his  line  extending  to  Ziegler's  Grove. 
As  other  troops  came  up  in  the  morning  they  were 
assigned  places  in  the  line  as  follows :  the  Twelfth 
Corps  at  Gulp's  Hill  on  Wadsworth's  right;  the 
Second  Corps  along  Cemetery  Ridge;  Hays  and 
Gibbon's  divisions,  from  Ziegler's  Grove  to  the 
clump  of  trees ;  Cald well's  to  the  short  ridge  to  its 
left  and  rear.  The  Third  Corps  was  directed  to 
extend  Hancock's  line,  relieving  Geary's  division 
which  during  the  night  had  held  the  extreme  left 
of  the  line  as  far  as  Little  Round  Top.  The  Fifth 
Corps  was  placed  in  reserve  in  a  central  position 
near  the  Rock  Creek  crossing  of  the  Baltimore 

34 


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BATTLE  OF 

GETTYSBURG 

July  End.  1863 
SECOND    DAY 


CONFEDERATE 


Gettysburg.     The  Second  Day      35 

Pike.  The  Sixth  Corps,  on  its  way  from  Manches 
ter,  did  not  reach  the  battle-ground  until  two 
P.M.  The  Fifth  Corps  was  then  moved  to  the 
extreme  left  of  the  Union  line. 

An  early  attack  by  Lee  before  Meade's  concen 
tration  had  taken  place — the  Second  Corps  and 
Sykes  with  two  divisions  of  the  Fifth  Corps  arrived 
on  the  field  at  seven  A.M.  also  the  remaining  part  of 
the  Third  Corps — was  happily  delayed.  Lee,  how 
ever,  had  not  accepted  Longs treet's  suggestion  to 
file  around  the  Union  left,  and  place  himself  be 
tween  Meade's  army  and  Washington.  At  an 
early  hour — Longstreet  was  at  Lee's  headquarters 
while  the  stars  were  shining,1  he  says — Lee  was 
busy  with  plans  having  reference  to  an  attack  on 
the  Union  lines.  In  his  report  of  the  battle,  the 
Confederate  commander  says : "  Encouraged  by  the 
successful  issue  of  the  engagement  of  the  first  day, 
and  in  view  of  the  valuable  results  that  would  come 
from  the  defeat  of  the  army  of  General  Meade, 
it  was  thought  advisable  to  renew  the  at 
tack.  "  The  arrival  of  the  remainder  of  E  well's 
and  Hill's  commands,  and  two  of  Longstreet's 


1  The  day  that  followed  was  a  delightful  summer  day. 
Professor  Jacobs  says  of  it:  "The  morning  was  pleasant,  the 
air  was  calm,  the  sun  shone  mildly  through  a  smoky  atmos 
phere,  and  the  whole  outer  world  was  quiet  and  peaceful — 
there  was  nothing  to  foretoken  the  sanguinary  struggle  that 
was  to  close  the  day."  Notes,  etc.,  p.  32. 


36  The  Battle 

divisions,  gave  Lee  a  strong,  enthusiastic  body  of 
soldiery. 

Meade  had  foreseen  that  Lee  would  be  likely  to 
renew  the  battle,  and  he  gave  instructions  for  an 
examination  of  the  roads  that  would  enable  him 
to  fall  back  on  the  proposed  Pipe  Creek  line,  if  such 
a  movement  should  be  necessary — instructions 
which  his  chief -of -staff,  General  Butterfield,  con 
sidered  to  have  reference  to  a  withdrawal  of  the 
army  from  Gettysburg  without  a  battle  at  that 
place,  a  reference  which  Meade  afterward  denied. 
It  is  probable  that  Butterfield  misunderstood  these 
instructions.  Certainly  if  Meade  had  in  mind 
anything  more  than  a  possibility  of  a  necessity 
for  a  withdrawal,  he  soon  came  to  see  that  the 
battle  must  be  fought  then  and  there.  Indeed 
with  the  arrival  of  the  remaining  portions  of  his 
army,  General  Meade  was  in  a  favorable  position 
in  which  to  await  the  development  of  Lee's  plans. 

In  extending  the  Union  line  to  the  left,  Sickles 
requested  Meade's  assistance  in  determining  the 
position  he  should  take.  The  ground  assigned  to 
him  south  of  the  Weikert  house  was  low,  and  was 
commanded  by  the  higher  ground  along  the 
Emmittsburg  road.  In  fact,  it  was  this  higher 
ground,  extending  to  the  Peach  Orchard,  which 
seemed  to  him  the  line  to  occupy.  General  Hunt, 
chief-of-artillery,  examined  the  proposed  line  at 


Gettysburg.     The  Second  Day      37 

the  request  of  General  Meade.  He  thought  it  had 
its  disadvantages,  especially  because  of  the  right 
angle  in  the  line  at  the  Peach  Orchard ;  and  when 
Sickles  asked  if  he  should  move  his  corps  forward 
to  this  line,  Hunt,  who  says  that  tactically  it 
was  better  than  the  short  line  to  the  Round  Tops 
provided  it  were  strongly  occupied,  replied  to  this 
request,  "  Not  on  my  authority.  I  will  report  to 
General  Meade  for  his  instructions. "  Sickles 
made  his  dispositions  along  the  line  he  had  indi 
cated,  his  left  from  the  Peach  Orchard  being 
refused  and  running  back  to  the  Devil's  Den; 
while  Hunt,  reporting  to  General  Meade  that  he 
could  not  advise  the  occupation  of  the  proposed 
line,  suggested  that  Meade  should  examine  the  posi 
tion  for  himself.  A  little  later,  seeing  Meade  and 
Sickles  in  conversation,  Hunt  supposed  the  latter 
had  given  his  consent  to  the  Peach  Orchard  line, 
and  ordered  up  some  of  the  reserve  artillery ;  he  also 
gave  the  general  officers  authority  to  call  for  it. 
While  objecting  to  Sickles 's  line,  Meade  saw  that  it 
was  too  late  to  change  it.1  His  own  account  of  the 
position,  in  his  report  of  the  battle,  is  as  follows: 

1  Longstreet,  who  confronted  Sickles  at  the  Peach  Orchard, 
was  one  of  those  who  believed  that  Sickles  was  right  in  placing 
his  corps  as  he  did.  In  a  letter  to  Sickles  written  September 
ig,  1902,  he  said:  "I  believe  it  is  now  conceded  that  the 
advanced  position  at  the  Peach  Orchard,  taken  by  your 
corps  and  under  your  orders,  saved  that  battle-tield  to  the 
Union  cause. " 


38  The  Battle 

"  About  three  P.M.,  I  rode  out  to  the  extreme  left  to 
await  the  arrival  of  the  Fifth  Corps  and  to  post  it, 
when  I  found  that  Maj.-Gen.  Sickles,  commanding 
the  Third  Corps,  not  fully  apprehending  the  in 
structions  in  regard  to  the  position  to  be  occupied, 
had  advanced,  or  rather  was  in  the  act  of  advan 
cing,  his  corps  some  half  a  mile  or  three  fourths  of  a 
mile  in  front  of  the  line  of  the  Second  Corps,  on  the 
prolongation  of  which  it  was  designed  his  corps 
should  rest.  Having  found  Maj.-Gen.  Sickles,  I  was 
explaining  to  him  that  he  was  too  far  in  advance, 
and  discussing  with  him  the  propriety  of  withdraw 
ing,  when  the  enemy  opened  on  him  with  several, 
batteries  in  his  front  and  on  his  flank,  and  immedi 
ately  brought  forward  columns  of  infantry  and 
made  a  most  vigorous  assault.  The  Third  Corps 
sustained  the  shock  most  heroically."1 

Lee's  plan  for  July  2d,  at  Gettysburg,  included  a 

1  In  his  testimony  before  the  Joint  Committee  on  the 
Conduct  of  the  War  in  1864,  Sickles  said:  "General  Meade 
.  .  .  remarked  to  me  that  my  line  was  too  extended,  and 
expressed  his  doubts  as  to  my  being  able  to  hold  so  extended 
a  line,  in  which  I  coincided  in  the  main — that  is  to  say,  I 
replied  that  I  could  not  with  one  corps  hold  so  extended  a 
line  against  the  rebel  army;  but  that,  if  supported,  the  line 
could  be  held;  and  in  my  judgment,  it  was  a  strong  line,  and 
the  best  one.  I  stated,  however,  that  if  he  disapproved  of 
it,  it  was  not  yet  too  late  to  take  any  position  he  might  indi 
cate.  He  said,  'No';  that  it  would  be  better  to  hold  that  line, 
and  he  would  send  up  the  Fifth  Corps  to  support  me.  I 
expressed  my  belief  in  my  ability  to  hold  that  line  unti] 
supports  could  arrive. " 


Gettysburg.      The  Second  Day      39 

crushing  blow  on  his  right  or  left.  Both  extremi 
ties  of  his  line  were  visited  early  in  the  day  with  the 
decision  to  make  the  assault  from  the  right.  The 
battle  was  to  be  opened  by  Longstreet  with  his 
fresh,  heavy  columns.  Hill,  in  the  centre,  was  to 
co-operate,  and  so  also  was  Ewell  on  hearing  Long- 
street's  guns.  The  point  of  attack  selected  by  Lee 
was  Sickles 's  position  at  the  Peach  Orchard.  If 
the  Union  forces  could  be  driven  from  that  place, 
Lee  believed  that  the  vantage  ground  thus  gained 
could  be  successfully  used  in  an  effort  to  reach  the 
crest  of  the  ridge  beyond. 

It  is  claimed  by  Long  and  other  Confederate 
officers  that  Lee  expected  Longstreet  to  attack 
early  in  the  morning  of  the  2d,  and  that  he  gave 
orders  to  that  effect.  But  Longstreet  says  it  was 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  when  the  orders  were 
received.  Lee's  plan  was  for  Longstreet  to  follow 
the  direction  of  the  Emmittsburg  road,  having  the 
left  of  his  line  on  the  road,  and  for  Hill  to  join  in 
the  movement  as  the  Confederates  pressed  forward 
toward  Cemetery  Ridge.  Some  difficulty  was  ex 
perienced  by  Longstreet  in  getting  his  men  into 
position  for  the  attack  so  as  not  to  be  observed  by 
the  Union  signal  officers  on  Round  Top ;  and  it  was 
not  until  half -past  three  in  the  afternoon,  according 
to  Longstreet  himself,  that  the  order  for  the  ad 
vance  was  given.  The  general  statement  is  that 


40  The  Battle 

the  advance  was  not  begun  until  four  o'clock.  At 
that  hour  valuable  time  for  the  Confederates  had 
certainly  been  lost.  As  certainly  valuable  time 
for  the  Union  forces  had  been  gained.  The  rest 
of  Meade's  army  had  now  reached  the  field. 

In  his  report  of  the  battle,  Lee  says:  "After  a 
severe  struggle  Longstreet  succeeded  in  getting 
possession  of  and  holding  the  desired  ground. "  It 
was  a  severe  struggle.  Birney 's  division  of  the 
Third  Corps  bore  the  brunt  of  Longstreet's  attack. 
For  two  hours  the  conflict  was  a  desperate  one  on 
both  sides.  The  Confederates  made  the  attack 
covered  by  a  cloud  of  skirmishers.  Again  and 
again  Birney  sent  for  reinforcements.  His  lines 
swayed  to  and  fro  while  the  battle  raged,  and  his 
regiments  were  moved  constantly  on  the  double 
quick  from  one  part  of  the  line  to  another,  in  order 
to  meet  the  furious  onslaughts  of  the  enemy.  Bir 
ney  held  the  Peach  Orchard  until  nearly  dusk, 
when  he  fell  back  to  the  next  ridge.  Sickles  was 
severely  wounded  about  six  o'clock — one  of  his 
legs  was  shot  away — and  Birney  succeeded  to  the 
command  of  the  corps. 

North  of  the  Peach  Orchard,  Humphrey's  divi 
sion  of  the  Second  Corps  held  the  line  along  the  Em- 
mittsburg  road.  Here  about  four  o'clock,  he  was 
attacked  by  McLaws,  and  when  at  length  the  sali 
ent  was  broken  the  whole  attention  of  the  enemy  at 


Gettysburg.     The  Second  Day      41 

this  point  being  directed  to  him,  he  was  compelled 
to  fall  back  to  the  higher  ground  on  the  ridge. 
This  was  done  in  good  order,  but  Humphrey's  losses 
were  heavy.  "The  fortune  of  war,"  he  says 
"rarely  places  troops  under  more  trying  circum 
stances  than  those  in  which  my  division  found 
itself  on  this  day. " 

When  Longstreet  commenced  his  attack,  the 
right  of  his  line  overlapped  Sickles 's  front  by  two 
brigades,  and  these  moved  round  so  as  to  threaten 
Little  Round  Top.  While  the  conflict  was  raging, 
Meade  sent  General  Warren  to  the  left  for  an 
examination  of  the  ground.  Reaching  Little 
Round  Top,  he  found  it  occupied  as  a  Union  signal 
station.  There  were  no  troops  there.  From  that 
rocky  hilltop,  looking  out  over  the  field  which  the 
summit  disclosed,  Warren  saw  that  the  long  line 
of  woods  on  the  west  side  of  the  Emmittsburg  road 
furnished  an  opportunity  for  the  enemy  to  form 
his  lines  out  of  sight.  Soon  he  saw  more — the  glis 
tening  of  gun-barrels  and  bayonets,  marking  a  line 
of  battle  already  formed  and  far  outflanking  the 
position  of  any  of  Meade's  men.  At  once  Warren 
sent  a  written  request  to  General  Meade  to  send 
at  least  a  division  to  that  point,  which  evidently 
was  the  key  to  the  position.  While  Warren  was 
there  alone  with  the  signal  officer,  musket-balls 
began  to  whistle  about  them,  and  then  a  whole  line 


42  The  Battle 

of  the  enemy  was  seen  advancing  toward  the  hill. 
Seeing  troops  going  out  on  the  Peach  Orchard  road , 
Warren  rode  down  the  hill  and  found  that  the 
troops   were  those  of  his  old  brigade  now  com 
manded  by  Weed,  who  had  already  passed.  Warren 
says :  "I  took  the  responsibility  to  detach  Colonel 
O'Rorke,  the  head  of  whose  regiment  I  struck,  who, 
on  hearing  my  few  words  of  explanation  about  the 
position,  moved   at  once  to  the  hilltop.     About 
this  time  First  Lieutenant  Charles  E.  Hazlett,  of 
the  Fifth  Artillery,  with  his  battery  of  rifled  cannon 
arrived.     He  comprehended  the  situation  instantly 
and  planted  a  gun  on  the  summit  of  the  hill.    .   .   . 
He  stayed  there  until  he  was  killed.    I  was  wound 
ed  with  a  musket-ball  while  talking  with  Lieuten 
ant  Hazlett  on  the  hill,  but  not  seriously;  and, 
seeing  the  position  saved  while  the  whole  line  to  the 
right  and  front  of  us  was  yielding  and  melting  away 
under  the  enemy's  fire  and  advance,  I  left  the  hill 
to  rejoin  General  Meade  near  the  centre  of  the 
field,  where  a  new  crisis  was  at  hand .  "  i     Later,  to 
this  position  came  the  rest  of  Weed's  brigade  and 
the  brigade  of  Strong  Vincent,  and  rolled  back  the 
onrushing  columns  which  Longstreet  was  hurling 
against  that  rocky  height.     Weed  was  killed  and 
Vincent  was  mortally  wounded.     It  was  on  the 
left  of  the  line,  at  this  time,  that  the  Twentieth 
1  Battles  and  Leaders  of  the  Civil  War,  vol.  iii.,  p  307. 


Gettysburg.     The  Second  Day      43 

Maine,  under  Colonel  J.  L.  Chamberlain,  did  such 
heroic  service,  repulsing  the  enemy  and  taking  a 
large  number  of  prisoners. 

Longstreet  claimed  that  in  his  attack  on  the  left 
of  the  Union  line  he  did  not  receive  the  help  he 
expected  from  Hill,  and  especially  from  Ewell. 
His  statement  is  this:  " While  Meade's  lines  were 
gj  owing,  my  men  were  dropping ;  we  had  no  others 
to  call  to  their  aid,  and  the  weight  against  us  was 
too  heavy  to  carry.  The  extreme  left  of  our  line 
was  only  about  a  mile  from  us  across  the  enemy's 
concentric  position,  which  brought  us  within 
hearing  of  the  battle,  if  engaged,  and  near  enough 
to  feel  its  swell,  but  nothing  was  heard  or  felt  but 
the  clear  ring  of  the  enemy's  fresh  metal  as  he 
came  against  us.  No  other  part  of  our  army  had 
been  engaged." 

It  should  be  said,  however,  that  Hill  supported 
Longstreet's  advance  with  some  of  his  right  brig 
ades.  Ewell  was  late  in  throwing  in  his  men.  Early 
and  Rodes  were  directed  to  attack  Cemetery  Hill, 
while  Johnson  was  to  give  his  attention  to  Gulp's 
Hill.  Early  made  a  spirited  attack,  but  unsup 
ported  by  Rodes  he  was  driven  back  with  great  loss ; 
Johnson,  however,  succeeded  in  seizing  a  portion 
of  the  Union  line  on  Gulp's  Hill,  a  part  of  the 
Twelfth  Corps  (the  First  Division  and  Lockwood  's 
brigade,  also  two  brigades  of  Geary's  division) 


44  The  Battle 

having  been  withdrawn  by  Meade  to  reinforce  his 
imperilled  left  and  centre  late  in  the  day.  The 
importance  of  the  advantage  gained  in  this  move 
ment,  however,  seems  not  to  have  been  discovered 
by  Ewell.  At  least  he  failed  to  avail  himself  of  an 
opportunity  to  press  his  men  forward  so  as  to 
take  possession  of  the  Baltimore  Pike,  only  a  short 
distance  away.  Gregg's  cavalry  did  efficient  ser 
vice  in  checking  Johnson's  victorious  advance. 

After  the  fighting  of  the  day  was  over,  General 
Meade  summoned  the  corps  commanders  to  his 
headquarters  in  council,  in  the  little  front  room 
of  the  Leister  house.  There  were  present,  besides 
the  commanding  general,  Newton  (who  had  been 
placed  in  command  of  the  First  Corps),  Hancock, 
Birney,  Sykes,  Sedgwick,  Howard,  and  Slocum, 
also  Butterfield,  chief -of -staff,  Warren,  chief-of- 
engineers,  Williams,  commanding  the  Twelfth 
Corps,  and  Gibbon  of  the  Second.  General  Gibbon, 
in  an  account  of  the  council,  says  that  Newton  ex 
pressed  the  opinion  that  "this  was  no  place  to 
fight  a  battle  in."  But  the  rest  of  the  generals 
thought  otherwise;  and  it  was  finally  decided  to 
correct  the  line  then  held,  and  await  further  at 
tack.  Howard  said,  "  Wait  attack  until  4  P.M.  on 
the  3d."  Then  if  Lee  did  not  attack,  he  advised 
attacking  Lee.  Hancock  said  that  he  would  have 
the  army  remain  and  not  attack  unless  communi- 


Gettysburg.     The  Second  Day     45 

cations  were  cut.  Sedgwick  said  that  the  army 
should  await  attack  at  least  one  day.  Slocum 
would  stay  and  fight  it  out  at  Gettysburg.  Double- 
day,  in  his  account  of  the  battle,  says  Meade  was 
displeased  with  the  result  of  the  council.  "  Have 
it  your  own  way,  gentlemen,"  he  said  roughly, 
"but  Gettysburg  is  no  place  to  fight  a  battle  in.  "l 

Longstreet's  comment  on  the  results  of  the  day 
is  this :  "  Our  success  of  the  first  day  had  led  us  into 
battle  on  the  second,  and  the  battle  on  the  second 
was  to  lead  us  into  the  terrible  and  hopeless  slaught 
er  on  the  third."  Lee,  referring  to  the  successes  of 
July  2d  at  Gettysburg,  says,"  These  partial  successes 
determined  me  to  continue  the  assault  next  day." 

The  fighting  of  the  day  was  over,  but  prepara 
tions  for  the  renewal  of  the  contest  were  at  once 
begun  on  both  the  Union  and  Confederate  lines. 
Meade  strengthened  his  right,  Big  Round  Top  was 
made  secure,  and  his  whole  line  received  careful 
attention.  On  the  part  of  Lee's  army,  also,  there 
was  preparation  for  a  more  desperate  struggle  on  the 
morrow.  To  its  commander  nothing  seemed  to 
promise  greater  hope  of  success  than  a  renewal  of 
the  movement  which  he  made  on  the  2d,  and 
which  he  expected  would  pierce  the  Union  line 
and  roll  it  up  in  the  triumphant  advance  of  his 
enthusiastic  battalions. 

1  Chancellor -svilte  and  Gettysburg,  p.  184. 


CHAPTER  IV 

GETTYSBURG.      THE   THIRD   DAY 

JULY  3d  found  the  Union  army  well  posted 
behind  hastily  constructed  defences,  await 
ing  the  movements  of  the  enemy  in  accordance 
with  the  decision  of  the  Council  of  War.  But 
Meade  knew  how  much  his  opponents  had  at 
stake,  and  he  was  by  no  means  confident  as  to  the 
issue.  At  seven  A.M.  he  sent  a  despatch  to  General 
French  at  Frederick,  Md.,  in  which  he  said  that  if 
the  result  of  the  operations  of  the  day  should  cause 
Lee  to  fall  back  toward  the  Potomac,  he  was  to 
occupy  Harper's  Ferry  and  annoy  and  harass 
him  in  his  retreat.  But  he  added:  "If  the  result 
of  the  day's  operations  should  be  our  dis 
comfiture  and  withdrawal,  you  are  to  look  to 
Washington,  and  throw  your  force  there  for  its 
protection.  You  will  be  prepared  for  either  of 
these  contingencies  should  they  arise." 

When  the  men  of  the  Twelfth  Corps,  who  had 
been  detached  by  Meade  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
2d  to  reinforce  his  imperilled  left,  returned  about 

midnight  to  take  their  former  position,  they  found 

46 


Gettysburg.  The  Third  Day         47 

Johnson's  division  of  Swell's  corps  in  possession. 
It  was  this  state  of  things  on  his  left  that  gave 
Meade  anxiety ;  and  he  made  preparations  for  dis 
possessing  Johnson  of  the  foothold  he  had  ob 
tained  .  During  the  night  batteries  were  posted  in 
favorable  positions  for  aiding  in  the  proposed 
movement,  and  the  troops  to  make  the  attack 
were  selected.  But  Ewell,  also,  made  preparations 
which  he  hoped  would  enable  him  to  maintain  the 
lodgment  he  had  secured.  In  the  morning,  accord 
ingly,  there  was  a  sharp,  severe  struggle  for  the 
supremacy  at  that  part  of  the  line.  Geary  and 
Ruger  were  instructed  to  attack  at  daylight.  In 
the  struggle  that  followed  both  parties  were  per 
sistent,  but  Ewell  was  unable  to  hold  the  ground 
he  had  secured . 

At  length,  about  eleven  o'clock,  finding  that  his 
men  could  not  withstand  the  continued  assaults 
of  the  Union  forces,  and  discovering  that  a  way  of 
retreat  might  be  cut  off  by  troops  on  his  flank, 
Ewell  reluctantly  abandoned  the  position,  and 
fell  back  to  Rock  Creek,  leaving  the  Union  army 
in  a  strong,  defensive  line  extending  to  the  Round 
Tops. 

Concerning  his  arrangements  for  the  day,  Lee, 
in  his  official  report  of  the  battle,  says :  "The  gen 
eral  plan  was  unchanged.  Longstreet,  reinforced 
by  Pickett's  three  brigades,  which  arrived  near 


48  The  Battle 

the  battle-field  during  the  afternoon  of  the  2d, 
was  ordered  to  attack  the  next  morning."  Long- 
street,  however,  makes  this  comment  on  this  part 
of  Lee's  report:  "This  is  disingenuous.  He  did 
not  give  or  send  me  orders  for  the  morning  of  the 
third  day,  nor  did  he  reinforce  me  by  Pickett's 
brigades  for  morning  attack."1  In  fact,  Long- 
street  had  been  busy  during  the  night  in  the  en 
deavor,  by  means  of  scouting  parties,  to  find  a 
favorable  opportunity  for  striking  a  blow  on 
Meade's  left,  and  was  about  to  move  his  command 
for  this  purpose  at  sunrise  when  General  Lee  rode 
up  to  his  headquarters  with  orders  for  the  day, 
which  included  a  charge  upon  Meade's  left  centre 
by  troops  from  McLaws'  and  Hood's  divisions  of 
Longstreet's  corps,  reinforced  by  Pickett's  divi 
sion.  Longstreet  had  serious  objection  to  such  a 
movement.  " I  thought,"  he  says,  "that  it  would 
not  do;  that  the  point  had  been  fully  tested  the 
day  before,  by  more  men,  when  all  were  fresh; 
that  the  enemy  was  there  looking  for  us,  as  we 
heard  him  during  the  night  putting  up  his  defences ; 
that  the  divisions  of  McLaws  and  Hood  were  hold 
ing  a  mile  along  the  right  of  my  line  against  twenty 
thousand  men,  who  would  follow  their  with 
drawal,  strike  the  flank  of  the  assaulting  column, 
crush  it,  and  get  on  our  rear  towards  the  Potomac 

1  From  Manassas  to  Appomattox,  p.  385. 


J*  //,       I 


L      f 

* 


BATTLE  OF 

GETTYSBURG 


July  3rd.  1863 
THIRD      DAY 


Gettysburg.    The  Third  Day         49 

River ;  that  thirty  thousand  men  was  the  minimum 
force  necessary  for  the  work ;  that  even  such  force 
would  need  close  co-operation  on  other  parts  of 
the  line ;  that  the  column  as  he  proposed  to  organ 
ize  it  would  have  only  about  thirteen  thousand 
men  (the  divisions  having  lost  a  third  of  their 
number  the  day  before) ;  that  the  column  would 
have  to  march  a  mile  under  concentrating  battery 
fire,  and  a  thousand  yards  under  long  range  mus 
ketry;  that  the  conditions  were  different  from 
those  in  the  days  of  Napoleon,  when  field  batteries 
had  a  range  of  six  hundred  yards  and  musketry 
about  sixty  yards."1 

Lee  thought  Longstreet  overestimated  the  dis 
tance.  He  said  it  was  not  more  than  fourteen 
hundred  yards.  He  consented,  however,  to  Long- 
street's  view  that  the  divisions  of  McLaws  and 
Hood  should  remain  on  the  defensive  line,  and 
said  he  would  reinforce  by  divisions  of  the  Third 
Corps  and  Pickett's  brigades.  He  also  gave  direc 
tions  with  reference  to  the  point  to  which  the  at 
tack  should  be  directed.  When  Longstreet  returned 
to  the  suggestion  that  the  force  to  be  brought 
against  the  Union  position  was  too  small,  Lee,  Long- 
street  says,  was  "impatient  of  listening,  and  tired 
of  talking,  and  nothing  was  left  but  to  proceed."  2 

1  From  Manassas  to  Appomattox,  p.  386. 
*  I  bid.,  pp.  386,  387, 


50  The  Battle 

Lee's  principal  reliance,  in  the  attack,  was  upon 
Pickett's  division  of  Longstreet's  corps,  composed 
of  Virginia  troops.  Up  to  this  time  it  had  not  been 
in  action  at  Gettysburg.  With  it  Lee  proposed  to 
use  not  only  troops  from  the  Third  Corps,  but  also 
the  cavalry  under  Stuart,  which  had  reached  the 
vicinity  of  Gettysburg  on  the  preceding  day,  tak 
ing  position  on  the  York  and  Harrisburg  roads. 
Stuart  was  to  attack  the  Union  line  in  the  rear 
simultaneously  with  Pickett's  assault  in  front — 
a  large  demand  upon  weary  troopers  as  events 
proved . 

The  forenoon  was  spent  in  making  preparations 
for  the  charge.  This  is  Lee's  own  statement  in 
his  report  of  the  battle:  "The  morning  was  occu 
pied  in  necessary  preparations."  Longstreet  calls 
attention  to  the  fact  that  two  thirds  of  the  troops 
to  be  engaged  in  the  charge  belonged  to  other 
commands  than  his  own,  and  that  he  had  no  con 
trol  of  them  until  they  reached  him. 

Preparatory  to  this  new  attack  upon  the  Union 
lines,  the  Confederate  artillery  was  massed  in 
favorable  positions  for  effective  service.  In  all,  one 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  guns  were  made  ready  to 
hurl  a  destructive  fire  into  Meade's  ranks.  Of  these 
seventy-five  guns  belonged  to  the  First  Corps. 
A.  P.  Hill  had  sixty- three  guns  on  Seminary  Ridge. 
In  the  middle  of  the  day,  aside  from  these  prepara- 


Gettysburg.    The  Third  Day^      51 

tions,  all  was  quiet  for  the  most  part  along  the 
lines  of  both  armies.  It  was  not  possible  for 
Meade  to  mass  his  artillery  to  the  same  extent  as 
Lee.  On  account  of  his  contracted  lines  only 
seventy-seven  guns  were  placed  in  position  facing 
Lee's  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight,  and  they  were 
in  plain  view  of  the  enemy.  But  he  had  a  large 
artillery  reserve  which  could  be  brought  into  use. 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  two  Confederate 
guns  announced  the  opening  of  the  artillery  duel 
which  was  to  precede  the  infantry  charge.  The 
chiefs -of -artillery  and  the  battery  commanders  on 
the  Union  side  had  been  instructed  by  Hunt  to 
withhold  their  fire  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  after 
the  Confederate  guns  opened ;  then  to  concentrate 
their  aim  with  all  possible  accuracy  on  those  bat 
teries  that  were  found  to  be  most  destructive. 
But  they  were  to  fire  leisurely,  so  as  not  to  ex 
haust  their  ammunition.  Hunt  had  just  given  this 
order  when  the  Confederate  signal  guns  were  fired, 
and  Lee's  artillery  opened  on  the  Union  lines. 

The  scene  from  those  lines  was  one  of  appalling 
grandeur.  Hunt,  in  his  description  of  it,  says: 
11  All  their  batteries  were  soon  covered  with  smoke, 
through  which  the  flashes  were  incessant;  whilst 
the  air  seemed  filled  with  shells,  whose  sharp  ex 
plosions,  with  the  hurtling  of  their  fragments, 
formed  a  running  accompaniment  to  the  deep 


52  The  Battle 

roar  of  the  guns."1  The  larger  number  of  cannon 
on  the  Confederate  side  were  expected  to  do  de 
structive  work  on  the  shorter  line  held  by  Meade , 
but  their  missiles  passed  over  and  beyond  the 
ridge  occupied  by  the  Union  troops,  making  the 
rear  more  dangerous  than  the  front.  Longstreet 
says  that  while  the  Confederates  had  the  benefit 
of  the  converging  fire  upon  Meade's  massed  force, 
yet  the  superior  metal  of  the  Union  batteries  neu 
tralized  the  advantage  of  the  position.  For  an 
hour  and  a  half  nearly,  this  terrific  bombardment 
was  continued.  Then,  finding  his  ammunition 
running  low,  Hunt  sought  Meade  to  obtain  per 
mission  to  cease  firing  in  order  to  cool  his  guns  and 
to  save  ammunition  for  use  in  the  effort  to  repulse 
the  charge  which  was  sure  to  follow.  Not  finding 
Meade,  but  presenting  the  matter  to  Howard  who 
concurred  in  his  view,  Hunt  gave  the  order  to 
cease  firing. 

From  this  cessation  of  firing  on  the  part  of  the 
Union  guns,  the  inference  was  drawn  within  the 
Confederate  lines  that  Meade's  artillery  had  been 
silenced, — a  mistake  that  was  soon  recognized. 
Hunt's  crippled  batteries  were  quickly  replaced, 
all  available  positions  for  artillery  being  occupied. 

The  Confederate  infantry  line,  awaiting  the  or 
der  to  advance,  consisted  of  Pickett's  division, 

1  Battles  and  Leaders  of  the  Civil  War,  vol.  iii.,  p.  372. 


Gettysburg.     The  Third  Day       53 

with  Kemper's  and  Garnett's  brigades  in  front, 
and  Armistead's  brigade  in  support.  Wilcox's 
brigade  of  Hill's  corps  in  echelon  guarded  Pickett's 
right,  while  Pettigrew's  division  did  the  same  ser 
vice  on  Pickett's  left,  supported  by  the  brigades  of 
Scales  and  Lane  commanded  by  Trimble  1  When 
Pickett  came  to  Longstreet  and  placed  in  his 
hands  a  slip  of  paper  on  which  Alexander,  Long- 
street's  chief -of -artillery,  had  called  for  an  immedi 
ate  advance  on  the  part  of  the  Confederate 
infantry  line,  and  added,  "General,  shall  I  ad 
vance?"  Longstreet  says  the  effort  to  speak  the 
order — an  order  whose  direful  consequences  he 
clearly  foresaw — wholly  failed  upon  his  lips,  and 
he  indicated  his  assent  only  by  an  affirmative  bow. 
Pickett  "  accepted  the  duty  with  seeming  confi 
dence,  of  success,  leaped  on  his  horse,  and  rode 
gaily  to  his  command."  2 

Pickett's  lines  were  soon  in  motion.  The  srnoke 
of  Lee's  guns  no  longer  overhung  the  field.  All 
was  in  view  from  the  Union  position  as  the  Con 
federates  emerged  from  the  cover  where  they  had 
awaited  the  fateful  hour.  Pickett  had  explained  to 

1  To  call  the  charge  "Pickett's  charge"  is  to  ignore    the 
services  performed  by  other  Confederate  organizations  which 
had  a  part  in  this  famous  movement  upon  the  Union  lines; 
but  the  popular  designation  is  the  one  in  common  use,  and 
the  only  one  that  would  be  generally  recognized. 

2  Longstreet's  From  Manassas  to  Appomattox.  p.  392. 


54  The  Battle 

his  men  the  nature  of  the  work  demanded  of  them, 
and  as  they  moved  solidly,  resolutely  down  the 
slope  into  the  open  fields  through  which  they  were 
to  pass  on  their  way  to  the  Union  lines,  all  that  the 
movement  meant  to  the  Confederate  cause  was 
clearly  understood.  The  sight  was  one  which  no 
beholder  could  ever  forget.  It  elicited,  as  the 
Comte  de  Paris  says,  "a  cry  of  admiration  both 
from  enemies  and  friends."  Pickett's  division 
comprised  nearly  five  thousand  men ;  but  this  was 
only  a  small  part  of  the  force  that  had  been 
placed  under  Longstreet's  command  in  this 
assault.  The  supporting  columns  numbered  about 
nine  thousand  men.  The  direction  of  the  column, 
as  given  by  Lee,  was  toward  a  clump  of  trees  on  the 
crest  of  the  ridge  extending  from  Cemetery  Hill 
toward  Little  Round  Top.  This  was  the  line  held 
by  the  Second  Corps  under  Hancock.  Upon  Gib 
bon's  division  of  that  corps  the  brunt  of  the  assault 
was  to  fall.  Meade's  artillery  opened  on  the  ad 
vancing  columns  almost  as  soon  as  they  were  in 
view.  At  first  solid  shot  was  used,  then  shell,  while 
canister  was  reserved  for  the  closer  approach. 
Any  less  determined  foe  would  have  quailed  under 
the  galling  fire.  But,  in  the  advance,  the  lines 
were  kept  closed  up,  and  a  solid  front  was  quite 
well  maintained  until  the  Emmittsburg  road  was 
reached.  As  the  separate  brigade  lines  now  swept 


Gettysburg.     The  Third  Day       55 

across  the  road,  they  lost  their  formation,  and 
carried  with  them  the  skirmish  line  as  they  urged 
their  way  onward.  Pettigrew's  command  with  its 
supports,  on  Pickett's  left,  had  been  put  in  motion 
with  the  Virginians,  but  earlier  in  the  conflict  they 
had  suffered  severely,  and  naturally  did  not  press 
forward  with  the  same  ardor  as  Pickett's  men  who 
had  not  before  been  in  action  at  Gettysburg. 

Wilcox's  brigade,  on  Pickett's  right,  advanced 
in  the  same  general  direction  for  awhile,  but  when 
at  length  Pickett  changed  his  course,  moving  ob 
liquely,  Wilcox  advanced  still  straight  to  the 
front,  leaving  Pickett's  flank  uncovered  as  the 
interval  between  them  increased. 

Behind  a  low  stone  wall  the  men  of  Gibbon's 
division  of  the  Second  Corps  awaited  the  approach 
of  the  Confederates  until  they  were  about  three 
hundred  yards  distant,  and  then  opened  an  effec 
tive  fire.  It  was  not  now  a  line  of  battle  that  was 
approaching,  but  a  confused  mass  into  which 
deadly  volleys  of  canister  were  hurled  by  the  Union 
artillery.  Pettigrew's  division  was  overwhelmed. 
Those  who  could  made  their  way  back,  while  two 
thousand  prisoners  and  fifteen  stands  of  colors  fell 
into  Meade's  hands. 

Pickett's  men,  however,  or  rather  those  of  his 
command  still  fronting  the  Union  lines,  continued 
resolutely  and  unwaveringly  to  move  up  the 


56  The  Battle 

slope,  their  numbers  continually  growing  less. 
Garnett  fell  when  about  one  hundred  yards  from 
the  Union  lines.  Awaiting  the  favorable  oppor 
tunity,  down  upon  Pickett 's  flank  came  Stannard 
with  his  Vermont  brigade,  delivering  a  fire  more 
demoralizing  than  that  from  the  fro:  t.  The  strug 
gle  now  was  soon  at  close  quarters,  as  that  con 
fused  mass  of  Confederates  pushed  its  way  over 
the  low  stone  wall,  pierced  the  Union  line,  but  was 
unable  to  maintain  its  foothold.  Armistead,  lead 
ing  about  one  hundred  of  his  men — forty-two  of 
the  number  were  slain — fell  inside  of  the  Union 
defences,  by  the  side  of  one  of  the  guns  upon 
which  he  had  laid  his  hand ;  but  it  was  defeat,  not 
victory.  Pickett  saw  that  it  was  useless  to  remain 
on  the  ridge  which  he  had  reached,  and  succeeded, 
with  a  part  of  his  force,  in  reaching  the  Confed 
erate  lines.  Of  his  entire  division  men  enough  only 
were  left  to  make  a  full- sized  regiment.  The  rest 
were  lying  upon  the  fields  over  which  they  had 
passed,  and  were  dead  or  wounded,  or  they  were 
prisoners  within  the  Union  lines.  "  Out  of  eighteen 
field-officers  and  four  generals  in  the  division, 
Pickett  and  one  lieutenant-colonel  alone  remain 
unharmed."  1 

1  Lt.-Col.  Fremantle,  of  the  British  army,  who  was  with 
the  Confederates  as  a  guest,  has  a  vivid  picture  of  the  battle 
in  his  Three  Months  in  the  Southern  States,  published  in  1864. 
He  had  sought  a  commanding  position  in  which  he  could  see 


Gettysburg.     The  Third  Day       57 

Longstreet  says  Lee  came  up  as  the  remnants 
of  the  attacking  forces  found  their  way  back.  He 
spoke  to  them  encouraging  words,  requesting  them 
to  re-form  their  ranks,  adding,  "It  was  all  my 
fault;  get  together,  and  let  us  do  the  best  we  can 
toward  saving  that  which  is  left  us. " i 

Within  the  Union  lines  the  joy  of  victory  was 
unbounded.  But  all  might  not  have  gone  as  well 
with  the  Union  army  had  Stuart,  with  his  cavalry, 
succeeded,  as  Lee  had  planned,  in  reaching  Meade's 
rear  at  the  time  of  the  charge  made  from  Long- 

the  battle  without  exposure  to  the  tremendous  fire  that 
characterized  it;  but  finally  concluded  to  make  his  way  to 
General  Longstreet.  He  met  wounded  men  in  large  numbers. 
"They  were  still  under  a  heavy  fire;  the  shells  were  contin 
ually  bringing  down  great  limbs  of  trees,  and  carrying  further 
destruction  amongst  this  melancholy  procession.  I  saw  all 
this  in  much  less  time  than  it  takes  to  write  it,  and  although 
astonished  to  meet  such  vast  numbers  of  wounded,  I  had  not 
seen  enough  to  give  me  any  idea  of  the  real  extent  of  the 
mischief."  In  illustrating  this  last  statement  he  adds: 
"When  I  got  close  up  to  General  Longstreet,  I  saw  one  of  his 
regiments  advancing  through  the  woods  in  good  order;  so, 
thinking  I  was  just  in  time  to  see  the  attack,  I  remarked  to 
the  General  that  'I  would  n't  have  missed  this  for  anything.' 
Longstreet  was  seated  at  the  top  of  a  snake  fence  at  the  edge 
of  the  wood,  and  looking  perfectly  calm  and  imperturbed. 
He  replied,  laughing,  'you  would  n't!  I  would  like  to  have 
missed  it  very  much;  we  've  attacked  and  been  repulsed; 
look  there!"  Lt.-Col.  Fremantle  looked  in  the  direction 
indicated  and  saw  the  fields  "covered  with  Confederates 
slowly  and  sulkily  returning. "  A  little  later  he  met  General 
Lee.  "This  has  been  a  sad  day  for  us,  Colonel,"  he  said  "a 
sad  day;  but  we  can't  expect  always  to  gain  victories." 

i  Battles  and  Leaders  of  the  Civil  War,  vol.  iii.,  p.  347. 


58  The  Battle 

street's  front.  In  the  morning  of  July  36, — 
Stuart  reached  the  vicinity  of  Gettysburg  only 
the  day  before, — the  cavalry  had  taken  position 
on  the  Confederate  left  with  the  purpose  of  aiding 
in  the  proposed  assault  by  Pickett  and  the  other 
forces  under  Longstreet's  orders.  Stuart's  posi 
tion  was  a  most  favorable  one  for  such  a  move 
ment.  "The  whole  country  for  miles  in  front  of 
him,  clear  up  to  Cemetery  Hill  and  the  Round 
Tops,  lay  at  his  feet.  In  his  rear  a  cross-country 
road  branches  off  from  the  York  turnpike  about 
two  and  a  half  miles  from  Gettysburg,  and,  cross 
ing  over  the  high  ground  mentioned  by  Stuart  [in 
his  report],  runs  in  a  southeasterly  direction  to 
ward  the  Low  Dutch  Road,  which  connects  the 
York  and  Baltimore  turnpikes.  This  high  ground 
is  divided  south  of  the  cross-road  by  the  upper 
valley  of  Cress  Run,  forming  two  ridges,  that 
west  of  the  Run  being  known  as  Brinkerhoff's 
Ridge,  and  that  east  of  it  as  Cress  Ridge.  A 
piece  of  woods  crowns  the  easterly  side  of  the 
ridge  on  the  southerly  side  of  the  cross-road, 
affording  protection  and  cover  to  the  supports 
of  the  battery  which  was  subsequently  placed 
there.  Screened  by  this  and  another  piece^  of 
woods  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  cross-road 
is  a  large  open  space  on  the  Stallsmith  farm, 
where  the  Confederate  leader  was  enabled  to  mass 


a 

T3 
O 


Gettysburg.     The  Third  Day       59 

and  manoeuvre  his  command  unobserved  by  his 
opponents."  1 

The  Union  cavalry  guarding  Meade's  right  con 
sisted  of  Macintosh's  (three  regiments)  and  Irvin 
Gregg's  brigade  of  Gregg's  division  and  Ouster's 
Michigan  brigade  of  Kilpatrick's  division,  in  all 
about  five  thousand  men.  The  posit:.on  occupied 
by  Gregg's  force  had  none  of  the  advantages  of 
that  which  Stuart  held.  Moreover,  Stuart  had 
with  him  between  six  and  seven  thousand  men. 

About  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Custer,  who 
had  been  ordered  to  join  Kilpatrick  at  the  Round 
Tops,  had  commenced  his  march  toward  the  Union 
left,  when  Mclntosh  reported  to  Gregg  the  pres 
ence  of  the  enemy  and  asked  for  support.  Gregg 
accordingly  ordered  Custer  to  remain  until  he 
could  bring  up  his  third  brigade.  There  was  some 
skirmishing  on  the  part  of  the  enemy,  dismounted 
troopers  of  W.  H.  F.  Lee's  brigade  supporting  the 
skirmishers,  and  then,  emerging  from  the  woods 
behind  which  his  men  had  been  concealed,  Stuart's 
columns  suddenly  appeared,  and  moving  rapidly 
down  the  slope  into  the  broad,  open  field,  with 
sabres  drawn,  colors  waving,  they  aimed  to  sweep 
all  before  them.  They  were  the  brigades  of  Wade 
Hampton  and  Fitz  Lee.  But  they  found  Gregg 

i  Gregg's  Cavalry  Fight  at  Gettysburg,  by  Brvt.-  Lieut.-Col. 
William  Brooke- Rawle,  pp.  13,  14. 


60  The  Battle 

ready  to  receive  them.  At  once,  with  the  shout 
ings  of  the  assailants,  there  were  the  clashing  of 
sabres,  and  the  sharp  crack  of  small  arms.  It  wa; 
a  close,  hand-to-hand  fight.  The  Confederates  at 
length  began  to  give  way,  the  Union  cavalry 
pressing  upon  them  closer  and  closer,  and  the 
movement,  in  falling  back,  became  a  rout.  In  a 
word,  Stuart  was  driven  from  the  field  into  the 
woods  from  which  he  came,  maintaining  in  its 
front,  however,  a  line  of  skirmishers,  from  which 
for  a  while  he  kept  up  a  brisk  firing.  But  the  fight 
ing  for  the  day  was  over.  Stuart's  attempt  to 
reach  the  rear  of  Meade's  army  at  the  time  of 
Pickett's  charge  had  utterly  failed.  In  his  report 
of  this  fight,  Stuart  claimed  to  have  driven  the 
Union  cavalry  from  the  field,  but  he  made  men 
tion  of  no  corresponding  rcrnilts.  He  summed  up 
the  work  of  the  day  in  these  words :  "  During  this 
day's  operations,  I  held  such  a  position  as  not 
only  to  render  E well's  left  entirely  secure,  where 
the  firing  of  my  command,  mistaken  for  that  of 
the  enemy,  caused  some  apprehension,  but  com 
manded  a  view  of  the  rctitec  leading  to  the  enemy's 
rear.  Had  the  cnoi  iy's  main  body  [in  Pickett's 
charge]  been  dislodged,  a~  was  confidently  hoped 
and  expected,  I  was  in  precisely  the  right  position 
to  discover  it  and  improve  the  opportunity.  I 
watched  keenly  and  anxiously  the  indications  in 


Gettysburg.     The  Third  Day      6t 

the  rear  for  that  purpose,  while  in  the  attack  which 
I  intended  (which  was  forestalled  by  our  troops 
being  exposed  to  view),  his  cavalry  would  have 
separated  from  the  main  body,  and  gave  promise 
of  soiid  results  and  advantages."  1 

It  was  certainly  a  great  day  for  Gregg  and  those 
who  fought  under  him.  The  scene  of  this  cavalry 
battle  is  too  much  neglected  by  visitors  to  the 
Gettysburg  battlefield.  Custer,  in  his  report,  did 
not  put  the  case  any  too  strongly  when  he  said: 
"I  challenge  the  annals  of  warfare  to  produce  a 
more  brilliant  or  successful  charge  of  cavalry  than 
the  one  just  recounted." 

The  battle  of  Gettysburg  closed  with  another 
cavalry  fight  on  the  left  of  the  Union  position,  and 
in  front  of  Big  Round  Top.  Kilpatrick,  who  had 
been  ordered  to  press  the  enemy  at  that  point, 
thought  he  saw  a  favorable  opportunity,  and 
ordered  Famsworth,  one  of  his  brigade  command 
ers,  to  charge  the  Confederate  right.  Famsworth, 
who  had  been  made  a  brigadier-general  on  the  eve 
of  the  battle  in  recognition  of  conspicuous  gallan 
try,  did  not  approve  of  the  charge,  and  remon 
strated  with  Kilpatrick,  in  the  desire  to  spare  his 
men.  "If  you  order  the  charge  I  shall  make  it" 
he  said,  "but  you  must  take  the  responsibility." 

i Official  Records  of  the  Union  and  Confederate  Armies,  serial 
No.  44,  p.  699. 


62  The  Battle 

Kilpatrick  replied  that  he  would  take  the  responsi 
bility,  and  Farns worth  made  the  charge.  It  was 
boldly,  heroically  executed,  but  with  consid 
erable  loss.  Farnsworth  was  killed,  and  so  were 
many  of  his  brave  troopers.  The  Confederates 
received  a  scare,  but  no  advantage  was  derived 
from  it  by  Meade,  and  the  day  without  the  charge 
would  have  come  to  a  far  more  satisfactory  end. 

At  the  close  of  Pickett's  failure,  the  Confederates 
anticipated  an  attack  by  Meade  upon  their  lines. 
Longstreet  says:  "When  this  [Pickett's]  charge 
failed,  I  expected  that,  of  course,  the  enemy 
would  throw  himself  against  our  shattered  ranks 
and  try  to  crush  us.  I  sent  my  staff  officers  to  the 
rear  to  assist  in  rallying  the  troops,  and  hurried  to 
our  line  of  batteries  as  the  only  support  that  I 
could  give  them.  .  .  For  unaccountable  reasons 
the  enemy  did  not  pursue  his  advantage. "  "  By 
all  the  rules  of  warfare,"  says  General  Trimble, 
who  commanded  a  division  of  Hill's  corps  in 
support  of  Pickett,  "the  Federal  troops  should 
(as  I  expected  they  would)  have  marched  against 
our  shattered  columns  and  sought  to  cover  our 
army  with  an  overwhelming  defeat."1  But 

1  Doubleday's  Chancellor sville  and  Gettysburg,  pp.  206,  207. 
In  his  Notes,  p  44,  Professor  Jacobs  says:  "At  that  time 
the  enemy  began  to  exhibit  signs  of  uneasiness  and  fear. 
They  gathered  up  the  wounded  and  sent  them  to  the  rear  as 
fast  as  possible.  They  now  feared  that  our  men  would  make 


Gettysburg.      The  Third  Day       63 

evidently  Meade  did  not  wish  to  imperil  in  any  way 
the  good  accomplished  in  repulsing  Lee's  assault 
upon  his  lines.  Nor  did  he  show  any  purpose 
to  renew  the  conflict. 

The  losses  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia 
at  Gettysburg  were  2592  killed,  12,709  wounded, 
and  5150  missing;  total  20,451.  The  losses  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  were  3072  killed,  14,497 
wounded,  and  5434  missing;  total  23,003.  It 
should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  the 
Confederate  returns  were  incomplete.  Hunt  says : 
"  Some  commands  are  not  reported,  and  in  others 
the  regimental  returns  show  larger  losses  than  do 
the  brigade  returns  from  which  the  foregoing 
numbers  are  compiled."1  Meade  reported  the 
capture  of  13,621  prisoners,  and  Lee  about  4000. 
Lee's  entire  force  on  the  Gettysburg  battlefield 
was  about  78,000  men,  while  Meade  had  about 
92,000  or  94,000  men.2 

Meade's  position    at  Gettysburg    gave  him  a 

a  dash  upon  them,  a  thing  for  which  they  evidently  had  no 
very  great  relish.  They  said  to  us,  '  The  Yankees  intend, 
this  evening,  to  charge  upon  us  in  the  streets  ;  and  when  asked 
upon  what  authority  they  spoke,  they  only  answered  that 
they  knew  that  such  was  to  be  the  case,  being  evidently 
influenced  by  their  fears.  Apprehensive  of  such  a  result, 
they  took  a  hasty  supper,  and,  about  midnight,  formed  in 
two  ranks,  and  were  under  arms,  as  if  awaiting  a  charge. " 

»  Battles  and  Leaders  of  the  Civil  War,  vol.  iii,  p.  384. 

2  Nicolay  and  Hay's  Abraham  Lincoln,  vol.  vii,  p.  279, 
note. 


64  The  Battle 

great  advantage.  His  line  was  a  comparatively 
short  one,  easily  defensible,  and  easily  reinforced 
at  any  part.  The  cause  of  the  Confederate  defeat 
has  been  attributed  by  some  of  Lee's  officers  to 
Longstreet's  disobedience  of  orders.  It  should  be 
remembered,  however,  that  this  charge  was  not 
made  during  Lee's  lifetime.  On  the  contrary,  too, 
it  has  been  clearly  shown  that  throughout  the 
three  days  of  conflict  Longstreet  obeyed  strictly 
all  of  Lee's  orders,  and  received  then  and  there 
after  Lee's  approval  of  his  conduct. 1 

As  has  already  been  stated,  Longstreet  believed 
that  an  attack  upon  Meade's  position  at  Gettys 
burg  would  be  unwise,  and  at  variance  with  a  dis 
tinct  understanding  at  the  commencement  of  the 
campaign  that  use  should  be  made  of  defensive 
tactics  only.  Accordingly,  when  Lee  proposed  to 
attack  Meade  in  his  defences  at  Gettysburg 
Longstreet  strongly  advised  against  any  such 
movement ;  but  he  was  not  disobedient.  It  may 
seem  strange  that  Lee  with  his  knowledge  of 
Longstreet's  utter  lack  of  faith  in  Pickett's  charge 
should  have  left  its  direction  in  his  hands.  But 
Lee  himself  gave  the  orders  for  the  attack, 
and  was  upon  the  field  when  the  charge  was 
made.  It  was  not  only  executed  under  his  eye, 

1  General  E.  P.  Alexander  in  The  American  Historical 
Review,  for  July,  1905,  pp.  903,  904. 


Gettysburg.     The  Third  Day       65 

but  it  was  within  his  power  to  make  up  for  any 
deficiencies  that  were  discoverable.  Longstreet 
indicates  his  own  view  of  his  relation  to  the  events 
of  the  third  day  at  Gettysburg  in  these  words : 
"That  day  at  Gettysburg  was  one  of  the  saddest 
of  my  life.  1  foresaw  what  my  men  would  meet, 
and  would  gladly  have  given  up  my  position 
rather  than  share  in  the  responsibilities  of  that 
day."* 

>  Battles  and  Leaders  of  the  Civil  War,  vol.  iii.,  p.  345. 


CHAPTER    V 

THE   RETREAT 

I N  three  days  Lee  had  exhausted  the  strength  of 
*  his  army  to  such  an  extent  that  retreat  became 
necessary.  The  Confederate  commander  did  not 
hasten  his  steps,  however.  Withdrawing  what  re 
mained  of  his  shattered  battalions  to  a  defensive 
position  on  Seminary  Ridge — all  the  troops  had 
been  withdrawn  from  the  town  and  other  parts  of 
the  line  and  placed  in  the  rear  of  that  ridge  by  3  A.M. 
— he  awaited  an  expected  offensive  movement 
on  the  part  of  Meade.  But  Meade  at  first  seems 
not  to  have  comprehended  the  magnitude  of  the 
victory  he  had  won.  At  4.15  P.M.  July  4th, 
however,  in  a  congratulatory  address  to  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  Meade  made  mention  of  "the 
glorious  result  of  the  recent  operations, "  the  enemy 
having  "now  withdrawn  from  the  contest."  At 
8.35  P.M.  in  a  despatch  to  General  Halleck,  he  re 
ported  that  the  enemy  had  been  "handsomely 
repulsed. "  There  were  indications  leading  to  the 
belief  that  Lee  might  be  withdrawing.  At  10  P.M. 
he  telegraphed  to  General  Halleck;  "I  make  a 

66 


Hancock  Statue. 


The  Retreat  67 

reconnaissance  to-morrow,  to  ascertain  what  the 
intention  of  the  enemy  is. " 

But  among  Meade 's  subordinates  there  were 
those  who  had  urged,  immediately  after  the  enemy 
was  "  handsomely  repulsed"  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  3d,  an  immediate  offensive  movement.  Pleas- 
onton  says  that  while  with  Meade  on  Little  Round 
Top  after  the  failure  of  Pickett's  charge,  he  urged 
a  general  advance  of  the  whole  army.  Hancock, 
that  afternoon,  as  he  was  carried  from  the  field 
severely  wounded,  dictated  from  his  stretcher  a 
note  to  Meade  urging  him  to  pursue  the  broken 
enemy.  Later,  in  his  testimony  before  the  Commit 
tee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,  he  said :  "  There 
were  only  two  divisions  of  the  enemy  on  our 
extreme  left  opposite  Round  Top,  and  there  was  a 
gap  in  their  line  of  one  mile  that  their  assault  had 
left ;  and  I  believe,  if  our  whole  line  had  advanced 
with  spirit  it  is  not  unlikely  that  we  would  have 
taken  all  their  artillery  at  that  point. " 

But,  as  has  been  said  already,  Meade  did  not 
deem  it  prudent  to  hazard  in  any  way  the  advan 
tage  he  had  secured ;  and  in  this  he  was  sustained 
by  many  of  his  prominent  officers. 

Although  Lee  remained  in  his  defensive  position 
on  Seminary  Ridge  throughout  the  4th,  orders 
for  the  retreat  were  given  before  noon,  and  in  a 
rain-storm,  which  began  during  the  day,  his  army 


68  The  Battle 

trains  were  set  in  motion  by  the  Chambersburg 
and  Fairneld  roads.  At  nightfall,  what  was  left 
of  Lee's  army  was  to  follow — the  Second  Corps 
as  rear-guard,  the  First  to  follow  the  Third  and 
push  on  to  secure  the  crossings  of  the  Potomac 
at  Williamsport  and  Falling  Waters.1  It  was 
daylight  on  the  5th,  however,  before  the  road  was 
open  for  the  march  of  the  First  Corps,  and  a  little 
later  hour  of  the  morning  before  the  Second 
Corps  could  follow. 2 

In  his  address  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  at 
4.15  P.M.,  July  4th,  General  Meade  said:  "Our 
task  is  not  yet  accomplished,  and  the  commanding 
general  looks  to  the  army  for  greater  efforts  to 
drive  from  our  soil  every  vestige  of  the  presence 
of  the  invader."  President  Lincoln,  on  reading 
these  words,  disappointed  because  Meade  had  not 
followed  up  his  great  victory  on  the  3d,  with  a 
prompt  movement  against  Lee's  defeated  army, 
remarked,  "This  is  a  dreadful  reminiscence  of 
McClellan ;  it  is  the  same  spirit  that  moved  him  to 
claim  a  great  victory  because  Pennsylvania  and 
Maryland  are  safe.  Will  our  generals  never  get 

1  Longstreet,     Front  Manassas  to  Appomattox,  p.  426. 

*  In  his  Notes,  p.  46,  Professor  Jacobs  says:  "As  Sunday 
dawned  upon  us,  only  a  few  Rebel  pickets  remained  in  this 
region  of  country,  unless  we  except  the  multitudes  of 
stragglers  from  his  army,  and  a  larger  number  of  his  wounded, 
which  were  literally  emptied  out  of  his  wagons  into  farm 
houses  and  barns  in  his  hasty  retreat,  " 


The  Retreat  69 

that  idea  out  of  their  heads  ?    The  whole  country 
is  our  soil."  1 

Early  in  the  morning  of  July  5th,  Meade  discov 
ered  that  Lee  had  withdrawn.  In  a  despatch  to 
Halleck  at  8.30  A.M.,  he  said:  "The  enemy 
retired  under  cover  of  the  night  and  heavy  rain 
in  the  direction  of  Fairfield  and  Cashtown.  All 
my  available  cavalry  are  in  pursuit  on  the  enemy's 
flank  and  rear.  My  movement  will  be  made 
at  once  on  his  flank,  via  Middletown  and  South 
Mountain  Pass." 

Meade  not  only  sent  out  his  cavalry,  but 
ordered  the  Sixth  Corps,  under  Sedgwick,  to  move 
toward  Fairfield.  Sedgwick 's  report  indicated  a 
large  force  of  the  enemy  in  the  mountains,  and 
Meade  in  consequence  suspended  the  movement 
of  the  army  to  Middletown  until  he  could  be 
certain  that  the  enemy  was  evacuating  the 
Cumberland  valley. 

At  9.20  p.  M.,  July  6th,  while  still  at  Gettysburg, 
Meade  announced  to  General  Halleck  that  he  had 
resumed  the  southward  movement,  and  expected 
to  assemble  his  army  at  Middletown  by  the  night 
of  July  yth.  "If  I  can  get  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  in  hand  in  the  valley,  and  the  enemy 
have  not  crossed  the  river,  I  shall  give  him  battle, " 
he  said;  but  the  sentence  concluded  as  follows, 

*  Nicolay  and  Hay's  Abraham  Lincoln,  vol.  vii.,  p.  278. 


70  The  Battle 

"trusting,  should  misfortune  overtake  me,  that  a 
sufficient  number  of  my  force,  in  connection  with 
what  you  have  in  Washington  would  reach  that 
place  so  as  to  render  it  secure."  This  certainly 
was  not  inspiring.  "Misfortune"  was  not  what 
the  President  was  expecting,  and  he  did  not  see 
why  General  Meade  should  make  mention  of 
it  as  a  possibility.  On  the  very  day  Meade 
sent  this  despatch  to  Halleck,  the  latter  not 
only  informed  Meade  that  he  had  been  appointed 
a  brigadier-general  in  the  regular  army,  his  com 
mission  to  bear  the  date  of  July  3d,  the  date  of 
his  *  'brilliant  victory  at  Gettysburg, "  but  he  sent 
to  him  a  note  which  he  had  received  from  the 
President  as  follows:  "  We  have  certain  informa 
tion  that  Vicksburg  surrendered  to  General  Grant 
on  the  4th  of  July.  Now  if  General  Meade  can 
complete  his  work  so  gloriously  prosecuted  thus 
far  by  the  literal  or  substantial  destruction  of 
Lee's  army,  the  Rebellion  will  be  over. " 

Notwithstanding  the  bad  condition  of  the  roads, 
Lee  reached  the  Potomac  on  the  6th  and  yth  of 
July.  He  could  not  cross,  however,  as  the  river 
was  greatly  swollen  on  account  of  the  recent  heavy 
rains.  While  waiting  for  the  waters  to  fall,  and 
also  for  the  construction  of  a  bridge,  Lee  took  up 
a  defensive  position. 

The  proddings  Meade  received  from  Washington 


The  Retreat  Ji 

with  reference  to  the  pursuit  of  Lee  were  not  in 
any  way  pleasing.  In  his  despatch  to  Halleck 
July  8th,  he  said :  "  I  expect  to  find  the  enemy  in  a 
strong  position,  well  covered  with  artillery,  and  I 
do  not  desire  to  imitate  his  example  at  Gettysburg 
and  assault  a  position  where  the  chances  were  so 
greatly  against  success.  I  wish  in  advance  to 
moderate  the  expectations  of  those  who,  in  igno 
rance  of  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered,  may 
expect  too  much.  All  that  I  can  do  under  the 
circumstances  I  pledge  this  army  to  do. "  On 
that  day  there  was  a  report  that  Lee  was  recrossing 
the  Potomac  at  Williamsport,  and  Halleck  in 
formed  Meade  that  the  President  was  urgent  and 
anxious  that  he  should  move  against  the  retreating 
army  by  forced  marches.  To  this  Meade  replied 
that  his  information  as  to  Lee's  crossing  did  not 
agree  with  that  the  President  had  received,  and 
he  added :  "  My  army  is  and  has  been  making 
forced  marches,  short  of  rations  and  barefooted. 
One  corps  marched  yesterday  and  last  night  over 
thirty  miles.  I  take  occasion  to  repeat  that  I  will 
use  my  utmost  efforts  to  push  forward  this  army. " 
To  this  Genera]  Halleck  made  reply  on  the  same 
day:  "Do  not  understand  me  as  expressing  any 
dissatisfaction ;  on  the  contrary ,  your  army  has  done 
most  nobly.  I  only  wish  to  give  you  opinions 
formed  from  information  here.  .  .  .  My  only 


72  The  Battle 

fear  now  is  that  the  enemy  may  escape  by  crossing 
the  river." 

Meade  arrived  in  Lee's  front  July  loth.  Ad 
vancing  cautiously,  he  announced  to  General 
Halleck  at  4.30  p.  M.,  July  i2th,  "It  is  my  inten 
tion  to  attack  them  to-morrow,  unless  something 
intervenes  to  prevent  it. "  Something  did  happen. 
On  the  following  day,  July  i3th,  Meade  informed 
General  Halleck  that  having  called  his  corps  com 
manders  together,  and  submitted  to  them  his 
proposition  to  attack  the  enemy,  five  out  of  six 
were  unqualifiedly  opposed  to  it.  "Under  these 
circumstances,"  he  continued,  "in  view  of  the 
momentous  consequences  attendant  upon  a  failure 
to  succeed,  I  did  not  feel  myself  authorized  to 
attack  until  after  I  had  made  more  careful  ex 
amination  of  the  enemy's  position,  strength,  and 
defensive  works. " 

Halleck's  reply,  sent  at  9.30  P.M.,  gave 
expression  to  the  President's  disappointment: 
"Yours  of  5  P.M.  is  received.  You  are  strong 
enough  to  attack  and  defeat  the  enemy  before 
he  can  effect  a  crossing.  Act  upon  your  own 
judgment  and  make  your  generals  execute  your 
orders.  Call  no  council  of  war.  It  is  proverbial 
that  councils  of  war  never  fight.  Reinforcements 
are  pushed  on  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Do  not 
let  the  enemy  escape. " 


The  Retreat  73 

What  Mr.  Lincoln  feared  all  along,  it  might 
almost  be  said  what  he  anticipated,  came  to  pass. 
At  ii  A.  M.,  on  July  i4th,  Meade  telegraphed  to 
General  Halleck:  "On  advancing  my  army  this 
morning,  with  a  view  of  ascertaining  the  exact 
position  of  the  enemy  and  attacking  him  if  the 
result  of  the  examination  should  justify  me,  I 
found,  on  reaching  his  lines,  that  they  were  evacua 
ted.  "  Halleck  gave  expression  to  the  President's 
added  dissatisfaction  in  a  despatch  dated  i  P.M.  : 
"I  need  hardly  say  to  you  that  the  escape  of 
Lee's  army  without  another  battle  has  created 
great  dissatisfaction  in  the  mind  of  the  President, 
and  it  will  require  an  active  and  energetic  pursuit 
on  your  part  to  remove  the  impression  that 
it  has  not  been  sufficiently  active  heretofore." 
These  words  Meade  promptly  resented.  The  fact  is 
that  at  a  council  of  war  Meade  favored  an  attack, 
but  was  overborne  by  his  corps  commanders. 
French,  Sedgwick,  and  Slocum  were  especially 
strenuous  in  their  opposition  to  an  attack.  Meade 
responded  to  Halleck's  communication  in  these 
words :  "  Having  performed  my  duty  conscientious 
ly  and  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  the  censure  of  the 
President  conveyed  in  your  despatch  of  one  p.  M. 
this  day,  is,  in  my  judgment,  so  undeserved  that 
I  feel  compelled  most  respectfully  to  ask  to  be  im 
mediately  relieved  from  the  command  of  the  army." 


74  The  Battle 

General  Halleck  hastened  an  hour  later  to  reply, 
saying  that  the  disappointment  of  the  President 
at  the  escape  of  Lee's  army  was  not  intended  as  a 
censure,  but  as  a  stimulus  to  an  active  pursuit, 
and  that  the  incident  was  not  deemed  a  sufficient 
cause  for  Meade's  application  to  be  relieved.  Some 
thing  might  yet  be  done  even  if  the  golden  op 
portunity  had  been  lost.  Mr.  Lincoln,  however, 
did  not  attempt  to  conceal  his  disappointment. 
"We  had  gone  through  all  the  labor  of  tilling  and 
planting  an  enormous  crop,  "  he  said,  "and  when  it 
was  ripe  we  did  not  harvest  it."  But  the  Presi 
dent  did  not  withhold  words  of  praise  for  what  had 
been  accomplished.  "  I  am  very  grateful  to  Mead e 
for  the  great  service  he  did  at  Gettysburg, "  he  add 
ed,  and  he  continued  to  give  him  his  full  confidence 
as  a  brave  and  skilful  officer.  His  thoughts,  how 
ever,  he  committed  to  paper  in  the  following  letter l 
addressed  to  General  Meade.  This  letter  was 
neither  signed  nor  sent,  the  President  withholding 
it  evidently  lest  it  should  still  further  wound  the 
feelings  of  an  officer  who,  notwithstanding  his 
failings,  deserved  well  of  his  country  for  services 
faithfully  rendered.  This  is  the  letter: 

"  I  have  just  seen  your  despatch  to  General  Hal 
leck,  asking  to  be  relieved  of  your  command  be 
cause  of  a  supposed  censure  of  mine.  I  am  very, 
very  grateful  to  you  for  the  magnificent  success 


The  Retreat  75 

you  gave  the  cause  of  the  country  at  Gettysburg ; 
and  I  am  sorry  now  to  be  the  author  of  the  slight 
est  pain  to  you.  But  I  was  in  such  deep  distress 
myself  that  I  could  not  restrain  some  expression 
of  it.  I  have  been  oppressed  nearly  ever  since  the 
battles  at  Gettysburg  by  what  appeared  to  be  evi 
dences  that  yourself  and  General  Couch  and  Gen 
eral  Smith  were  not  seeking  a  collision  with  the 
enemy,  but  were  trying  to  get  him  across  the  river 
without  another  battle.  What  these  evidences 
were,  if  you  please,  I  hope  to  tell  you  at  some  time 
when  we  both  shall  feel  better.  The  case,  sum 
marily  stated,  is  this :  You  fought  and  beat  the  ene 
my  at  Gettysburg;  and,  of  course,  to  say  the  least, 
his  loss  was  as  great  as  yours.  He  retreated,  and 
you  did  not,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  pressingly  pursue 
him;  but  a  flood  in  the  river  detained  him  till,  by 
slow  degrees,  you  were  again  upon  him.  You  had 
at  least  twenty  thousand  veteran  troops  directly 
with  you,  and  as  many  more  raw  ones  within  sup 
porting  distance,  all  in  addition  to  those  who 
fought  with  you  at  Gettysburg;  while  it  was  not 
possible  that  he  had  received  a  single  recruit;  and 
yet  you  stood  and  let  the  flood  run  down,  bridges 
be  built,  and  the  enemy  move  away  at  his  leisure 
without  attacking  him.  And  Couch  and  Smith — 
the  latter  left  Carlisle  in  time,  upon  all  ordinary 
calculation,  to  have  aided  you  in  the  last  battle  at 


76  The  Battle 

Gettysburg,  but  he  did  not  arrive.  At  the  end  of 
more  than  ten  days,  I  believe  twelve,  under  con 
stant  urging  he  reached  Hagerstown  from  Carlisle, 
which  is  not  an  inch  over  fifty-five  miles,  if  so 
much,  and  Couch's  movement  was  very  little 
different. 

"  Again,  my  dear  general,  I  do  not  believe  you 
appreciate  the  magnitude  of  the  misfortune  in 
volved  in  Lee's  escape.  He  was  within  your  easy 
grasp,  and  to  have  closed  upon  him  would,  in  con 
nection  with  our  other  late  successes,  have  ended 
the  war.  As  it  is,  the  war  will  be  prolonged  indefi 
nitely.  If  you  could  not  safely  attack  Lee  last  Mon 
day,  how  can  you  possibly  do  so  south  of  the  river, 
when  you  can  take  with  you  very  few  more  than 
two  thirds  of  the  force  you  then  had  in  hand? 
It  would  be  unreasonable  to  expect  and  I  do  not 
expect  that  you  can  now  effect  much.  Your 
golden  opportunity  is  gone,  and  I  am  distressed 
immeasurably  because  of  it. 

"  I  beg  you  will  not  consider  this  a  prosecution 
or  persecution  of  yourself.  As  you  had  learned 
that  I  was  dissatisfied,  I  have  thought  it  best  to 
kindly  tell  you  why."1 

But  Lee  and  his  army,  also  the  Confederates 
generally,  had  their  disappointments  as  well  as 

1  Nicolay  and  Hay's  Abraham  Lincoln,  vol.  vii.,  pp.  280^ 
281. 


The  Retreat  77 

Mr.  Lincoln;  indeed  they  were  even  greater.  The 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia  crossed  the  Potomac  on 
its  way  northward  with  the  fullest  confidence  in 
the  success  of  the  movement.  Officers  and  men 
alike  expected  speedy  and  complete  victory,  and 
instead  they  suffered  a  humiliating  defeat.  At 
Gettysburg  they  not  only  had  lost  a  great  battle 
at  a  fearful  cost  of  life,  but  they  had  witnessed 
the  destruction  of  fondly  cherished  hopes.  These 
hopes  included  the  defeat  of  the  Army  of  the  Po 
tomac,  the  capture  of  Washington,  and  the  per 
manence  of  the  Confederacy.  It  was  a  strong, 
solid,  enthusiastic  body  of  veterans  that  Lee  led 
across  the  Potomac.  Only  decimated  ranks  re 
turned.  The  high- water  mark  of  the  Rebellion 
had  been  reached.  The  contest  was  not  aban 
doned,  but  Lee  was  never  again  at  the  head  of  an 
army  of  equal  strength,  and  never  again  did  he  set 
his  columns  in  motion  and  enter  into  the  conflict 
with  such  high  hopes  of  a  successful  issue  as  when 
he  approached  Gettysburg  and  threw  down  the 
gage  of  battle. 


PART  II 

THE  CEMETERY 


THE    CEMETERY 


CHAPTER  I 

ORIGIN    OF    THE     NATIONAL     CEMETERY 

SHORTLY  after  the  battle  ef  Gettysburg  was 
fought,  the  Hon.  Andrew  G.  Curtin,  Gov 
ernor  of  Pennsylvania,  visited  the  battle-field 
bringing  relief  to  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers, 
who  remained  in  the  various  hospitals  in  and 
around  the  town.  When  he  left  Gettysburg, 
he  made  David  Wills,  Esq.,  his  representative  in 
such  further  ministrations  as  it  would  be  possible 
for  the  State  to  render.  Mr.  Wills  was  not  only  a 
resident  of  Gettysburg  and  a  true-hearted  patriot, 
but  a  man  of  great  executive  ability.  In  his 
frequent  visits  to  different  parts  of  the  battle-field, 
he  had  found  places  where  the  dead  had  been 
so  hastily  buried  as  to  be  only  partially  covered. 
Some  of  the  graves  were  unmarked,  or,  if  marked, 
the  letters  on  the  headboards  had  already  become 
partly  obliterated.  The  scenes  thus  witnessed 

suggested  to  Mr.  Wills  the   thought  of  bringing 
6  81 


82  The   Cemetery 

together  in  a  national  cemetery  the  scattered 
remains  of  these  dead  heroes ;  and  on  July  24, 1863, 
he  wrote  to  Governor  Curtin  submitting  a  plan  for 
the  establishment  of  such  a  cemetery.  This  plan 
received  the  hearty  approval  of  Governor  Curtin ; 
and  at  his  request  Mr.  Wills  entered  into  corres 
pondence  with  the  governors  of  other  States, 
whose  soldiers  were  engaged  in  the  battle  at 
Gettysburg. 

On  August  1 7th,  Mr.  Wills  wrote  to  Governor 
Curtin  as  follows:  "By  virtue  of  the  authority 
reposed  in  me  by  your  excellency,  I  have  invited 
the  co-operation  of  the  several  States  having  sol 
dier-dead  on  the  battle-field  around  this  place,  in 
the  noble  project  of  removing  their  remains  from 
their  present  exposed  and  imperfectly  buried 
condition,  on  the  fields  for  miles  around,  to  a 
Cemetery. 

"The  chief  executives  of  fifteen  out  of  the 
seventeen  States  have  already  responded,  in  most 
instances  pledging  their  States  to  unite  in  the  move 
ment;  in  a  few  instances  highly  approving  of  the 
project,  and  stipulating  to  urge  upon  their  legisla 
tures  to  make  appropriations  to  defray  their  pro 
portionate  share  of  expense. 

"  I  have  also,  at  your  request,  selected  and  pur 
chased  1  grounds  for  this  cemetery,  the  land  to  be 

1  The  cost  was  $2475.  87. 


Origin  of  the  National  Cemetery    83 

paid  for  by,  and  the  title  to  be  made  to,  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  be  held  in  perpetuity,  de 
voted  to  the  object  for  which  purchased. 

"The  grounds  embrace  about  seventeen  acres 
on  Cemetery  Hill,  fronting  on  the  Baltimore  turn 
pike,  and  extending  to  the  Taneytown  road.  It  is 
the  ground  which  formed  the  apex  of  our  triangu 
lar  line  of  battle,  and  the  key  to  our  line  of  defences. 
It  embraces  the  highest  point  on  Cemetery  Hill, 
and  overlooks  the  whole  battle-field.  It  is  the  spot 
which  should  be  specially  consecrated  to  this  sa 
cred  purpose.  It  was  here  that  such  immense 
quantities  of  our  artillery  were  massed,  and  during 
Thursday  and  Friday  of  the  battle,  from  this 
most  important  point  on  the  field,  dealt  out  death 
and  destruction  to  the  rebel  army  in  every  di 
rection  of  their  advance. 

"  I  have  been  in  conference,  at  different  times, 
with  agents  sent  here  by  the  governors  of  several 
of  the  States,  and  we  have  arranged  details  for 
carrying  out  this  sacred  work.  I  herewith  inclose 
you  a  copy  of  the  proposed  arrangement  of  details, 
a  copy  of  which  I  have  also  sent  to  the  chief  execu 
tive  of  each  State  having  dead  here. 

"  I  have  also,  at  your  suggestion,  cordially  ten 
dered  to  each  State  the  privilege,  if  they  desire,  of 
joining  in  the  title  to  the  land. 

"I  think  it  would  be   showing  only  a  proper 


84  The  Cemetery 

respect  for  the  health  of  this  community  not  to 
commence  exhuming  the  dead,  and  removal  to  the 
cemetery,  until  the  month  of  November ;  and  in  the 
meantime  the  grounds  should  be  artistically  laid 
out,  and  consecrated  by  appropriate  ceremonies. " 

Governor  Curtin,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Wills,  dated 
August  2ist,  expressed  his  satisfaction  with  the 
details  of  the  plan  suggested,  but  added :  "  It  is  of 
course  probable  that  our  sister  States,  joining  with 
us  in  this  hallowed  undertaking,  may  desire  to 
make  some  alterations  and  modifications  of  your 
proposed  plan  of  purchasing  and  managing  these 
sacred  grounds,  and  it  is  my  wish  that  you  give  to 
their  views  the  most  careful  and  respectful  consid 
eration.  Pennsylvania  will  be  so  highly  honored 
by  the  possession  within  her  limits  of  this  soldier's 
mausoleum,  and  so  much  distinguished  among  the 
other  States  by  their  contributions  in  aid  of  so 
glorious  a  monument  to  patriotism  and  humanity, 
that  it  becomes  her  duty,  as  it  is  her  melancholy 
pleasure,  to  yield  in  every  reasonable  way  to  the 
wishes  and  suggestions  of  the  States,  which  join 
with  her  in  dedicating  a  portion  of  her  territory  to 
the  solemn  uses  of  a  national  sepulchre."1 

The  cemetery  grounds  were  plotted  and  laid  out 
by  Mr.  William  Saunders,  a  landscape  gardener  of 

1  In  the  Report  of  the  Joint  Special  Committee  of  the  City  of 
Boston  (Boston,  1863,  P-  I2)  we  have  this  statement:  "A 
number  of  different  schemes  were  suggested,  and  especially 


Origin  of  the  National  Cemetery    85 

German-town,  Pennsylvania.     Lots  were  laid  off 
for  each  loyal  State  whose  soldiers  fell  in  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg,  the  largest  space  being  given  to  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  the  next  largest  to  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania.     In  the  semicircular  ar 
rangement  of  the  lots,  the  other  States  represented 
by  the  dead   were   Illinois,   Virginia,    Delaware, 
Rhode  Island,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  New  Jer 
sey,  Wisconsin,  Connecticut,  Minnesota,  Maryland, 
Maine,  Michigan,  Massachusetts,  Ohio,  and  Indiana. 
Lots  also  were  provided  for  the  unknown  dead,  and 
for  those  of  the  United  States  Regulars.     Each  lot 
was  laid  off  in  sections,  with  a  space  of  four  feet  for 
a  walk  between  each  section.     Two  feet  of  space 
were  allotted  to  each  grave,  and  the  bodies  were  laid 
with  the  heads  toward  the  centre  of  the  semicircle. 
At  the  head  of  the  graves  a  stone  wall  was  placed 
as  a  foundation  for  the  heaasi/ones  along  the  whole 
length  of  each  section,  and  on  these  headstones 
were  inscribed  the  name,  company,  and  regiment 
of  the  deceased,  if  known.     The  removals  and 


one,  which  was  strongly  urged  by  Mr.  Wills, — who  several 
times  informed  the  Committee  that  he  was  supported  therein 
by  the  governors  of  several  of  the  States,  viz : —  that  the  burials 
should  not  be  by  States,  but  promiscuously.  Correspondence 
on  this  subject  was  carried  on  for  several  weeks,  the  Com 
mittee  persistently  and  strenuously  advocating  separate 
State  lots,  and  they  finally  had  the  satisfaction  of  learning 
that  the  grounds  would  be  laid  out  according  to  their  idea 
of  propriety, " 


86  The  Cemetery 

burials  were  made  under  competent  supervision, 
and  with  the  greatest  care.  The  authorities  of  tne 
city  of  Boston,  in  concert  with  the  Governor  of 
Massachusetts,  sent  efficient  representatives  to 
the  battle-field,  who  made  the  removals  of  the 
Massachusetts  dead.  The  other  States  entrusted 
the  arrangements  for  the  removal  of  their  dead 
to  Mr.  Wills. 


CHAPTER  II 

ARRANGEMENTS  FOR  THE  CONSECRATION 
OF  THE  CEMETERY 

MR.  Wills 's  suggestion  to  Governor  Curtin,  in  his 
letter  of  August  lyth,  that  the  cemetery 
should  be  "consecrated  by  appropriate  cere 
monies,  "  met  with  the  governor's  approval.  The 
arrangements  for  these  ceremonies  were  made  by 
Mr.  Wills,  at  the  request  of  Governor  Curtin,  and 
the  governors  of  other  States  interested  in  the 
proper  care  of  their  soldier-dead.  The  Hon.  Ed 
ward  Everett  of  Massachusetts  was  selected  as  the 
orator  of  the  occasion,  and  September  23,  1863, 
Mr.  Wills,  as  the  agent  of  the  Governor  of  Penn 
sylvania,  addressed  to  him  the  following  note: 

"  The  several  States  having  soldiers  in  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac, who  fell  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg 
in  July  last,  gallantly  fighting  for  the  Union,  have 
made  arrangements  here  for  the  exhuming  of  all 
their  dead,  and  their  removal  and  decent  burial  in 
a  cemetery  selected  for  that  purpose  on  a  promi 
nent  part  of  the  battle-field.  The  design  is  to  bury 
all  in  common,  marking  with  headstones,  with  the 

87 


88  The  Cemetery 

proper  inscription,  the  known  dead,  and  to  erect  a 
suitable  monument  to  the  memory  of  all  these 
brave  men,  who  have  thus  sacrificed  their  lives  on 
the  altar  of  their  country.  This  burial-ground  will 
be  consecrated  to  this  sacred  and  holy  purpose  on 
Thursday,  the  23d  day  of  October  next,  with  ap 
propriate  ceremonies,  and  the  several  States  inter 
ested  have  united  in  the  selection  of  you  to  deliver 
the  oration  on  that  solemn  occasion.  I  am  there 
fore  instructed  by  the  governors  of  the  different 
States  interested  in  the  project  to  invite  you  cor 
dially  to  join  with  them  in  the  ceremonies,  and 
to  deliver  the  oration  for  the  occasion." 

Three  days  later,  September  26th,  Mr.  Everett 
addressed  to  Mr.  Wills  a  favorable  reply.  He  said : 
"I  have  received  your  favor  of  the  23d  instant, 
inviting  me,  on  behalf  of  the  governors  of  the 
States  interested  in  the  preparation  of  a  cemetery 
for  the  soldiers  who  fell  in  the  great  battles  of  July 
^ast,  to  deliver  an  address  at  the  consecration.  I 
feel  much  complimented  by  this  request,  and  would 
cheerfully  undertake  the  performance  of  a  duty  at 
once  so  interesting  and  honorable.  It  is,  however, 
wholly  out  of  my  power  to  make  the  requisite 
preparation  by  the  23d  of  October.  I  am  under  en 
gagements  which  will  occupy  all  my  time  from 
Monday  next  to  the  1 2th  of  October,  and,  indeed, 
it  is  doubtful  whether,  during  the  whole  month  of 


The  Consecration  89 

October,   I  shall   have  a  day  at  my  command. 

"  The  occasion  is  one  of  great  importance,  not  to 
be  dismissed  with  a  few  sentimental  or  patriotic 
commonplaces.  It  will  demand  as  full  a  narrative 
of  the  events  of  the  three  important  days  as  the 
limits  of  the  hour  will  admit,  and  some  appropriate 
discussion  of  the  political  character  of  the  great 
struggle,  of  which  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  is  one  of 
of  the  most  momentous  incidents.  As  it  will  take 
me  two  days  to  reach  Gettysburg,  and  it  will  be 
highly  desirable  that  I  should  have  at  least  one  day 
to  survey  the  battle-field,  I  cannot  safely  name  an 
earlier  time  than  the  igih  of  November. 

"  Should  such  a  postponement  of  the  day  first 
proposed  be  admissible,  it  will  give  me  great  pleas 
ure  to  accept  the  invitation. " 

In  compliance  with  Mr.  Everett's  suggestion  as 
expressed  in  this  letter,  Thursday,  the  igth 
of  November,  was  appointed  for  the  commemo 
ration  services. 

Among  those  who  were  invited  to  be  present 
was  General  Meade,  commanding  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Wills,  acknowledging 
the  reception  of  this  invitation,  General  Meade 
wrote:  "I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  in 
vitation  which,  on  behalf  of  the  Governor  of  Penn 
sylvania,  and  other  States  interested,  you  extend 
to  me  and  the  officers  and  men  of  my  command, 


90  The  Cemetery 

to  be  present  on  the  igth  instant  at  the  consecra 
tion  of  the  burial-place  of  those  who  fell  on  the 
field  of  Gettysburg. 

"  It  seems  almost  unnecessary  for  me  to  say  that 
none  can  have  a  deeper  interest  in  your  good  work 
than  comrades  in  arms,  bound  in  close  ties  of  long 
association  and  mutual  confidence  and  support 
with  those  to  whom  you  are  paying  this  last  trib 
ute  of  respect;  nor  could  the  presence  of  any  be 
more  appropriate  than  that  of  those  who  stood  side 
by  side  in  the  struggle,  shared  the  peril,  and  the 
vacant  places  in  whose  ranks  bear  sad  testimony 
to  the  loss  they  have  sustained.  But  this  army 
has  duties  to  perform  which  will  not  admit  of  its 
being  represented  on  the  occasion;  and  it  unly 
remains  for  me  in  its  name,  with  deep  and  grateful 
feelings  to  thank  you  and  those  you  represent  for 
your  tender  care  of  its  heroic  dead,  and  for  your 
patriotic  zeal,  which,  in  honoring  the  martyr,  gives 
a  fresh  incentive  to  all  who  do  battle  for  the  main 
tenance  of  the  integrity  of  the  government." 

It  was  especially  desired  that  the  national  gov 
ernment  should  be  represented  at  the  consecration 
services  by  its  head,  and  Mr.  Wills  sent  to  President 
Lincoln  the  following  invitation  on  November 
2, 1863: 

"  The  several  States  having  soldiers  in  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  who  were  killed  at  the  battle  of 


The  Consecration  gi 

Gettysburg,  or  have  since  died  at  the  various  hos 
pitals  which  were  established  in  the  vicinity,  have 
procured  grounds  on  a  prominent  part  of  the 
field  for  a  cemetery,  and  are  having  the  dead 
removed  to  them  and  properly  buried.  These 
grounds  will  be  consecrated  and  set  apart  to  this 
sacred  purpose,  by  appropriate  ceremonies,  on 
Thursday,  the  i9th  instant.  Hon.  Edward  Ever 
ett  will  deliver  the  oration.  I  am  authorized  by 
the  governors  of  the  different  States  to  invite  you 
to  be  present  and  participate  in  these  ceremonies, 
which  will  doubtless  be  veryimposing  and  solemnly 
impressive.  It  is  the  desire  that  after  the  oration, 
you,  as  Chief  Executive  of  the  nation,  formally  set 
apart  these  grounds  to  their  sacred  use^by  a.  _  few 
appropriate  remarks.  It  will  be  a  source  of  great 
gratification  to  the  many  widows  and  orphans  that 
have  been  made  almost  friendless  by  the  great 
battle  here,  to  have  you  here  personally ;  and  it  will 
kindle  anew  in  the  breasts  of  the  comrades  of  these 
brave  dead,  who  are  now  in  the  tented  field  or  nobly 
meeting  the  foe  in  the  front,  a  confidence  that 
they  who  sleep  in  death  on  the  battle-field  are  not 
forgotten  by  those  highest  in  authority ;  and  they 
will  feel  that,  should  their  fate  be  the  same,  their 
remains  will  not  be  uncared  for.  We  hope  you  will 
be  able  to  be  present  to  perform  this  last  solemn 
act  to  the  soldier-dead  on  this  battle-field. " 


92  The  Cemetery 

This  official  invitation  was  accompanied  by  a 
private  note  from  Mr.  Wills  as  follows:  "As  the 
hotels  in  our  town  will  be  crowded  and  in  confusion 
at  the  time  referred  to  in  the  enclosed  invitation,  I 
write  to  invite  you  to  stop  with  me.  I  hope  you 
will  feel  it  your  duty  to  lay  aside  pressing  business 
for  a  day  to  come  on  here  to  perform  this  last  sad 
rite  to  our  brave  soldiers  on  the  i  gth  instant.  Gov 
ernor  Curtin  and  Hon.  Edward  Everett  will  be  my 
guests  at  that  time,  and  if  you  come  you  will  please 
join  them  at  my  house." 

Of  course,  November  was  a  busy  month  for  Mr. 
Lincoln.  In  all  that  pertained  to  the  various  ar 
mies  in  the  field  the  President  took  a  very  deep  in 
terest.  The  time  for  the  meeting  of  Congress  also 
was  approaching,  and  his  annual  message  was  to 
be  prepared.  But  Mr.  Lincoln  needed  no  urging 
with  reference  to  this  appointment.  His  great 
heart  was  too  full  of  gratitude  for  what  had  been  so 
gloriously  accomplished  at  Gettysburg,  and  he  pur 
posed  to  meet  the  appointment.  The  members  of 
the  Cabinet  were  among  those  who  received  spe 
cial  invitations.  On  November  i;th,  Mr.  Lincoln 
wrote  to  Mr.  Chase,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury:  "  I 
expected  to  see  you  here  at  Cabinet  meeting,  and 
to  say  something  about  going  to  Gettysburg.  There 
will  be  a  train  to  take  and  return  us.  The  time  for 
starting  is  not  yet  fixed ;  but  when  it  shall  be  I  will 


The  Consecration  93 

notify  you."  Mr.  Chase,  however,  was  not  able 
to  go  to  Gettysburg,  and  had  so  notified  Mr.  Wills. 
Secretary  Stanton,  also,  found  the  duties  of  his 
office  too  pressing  to  admit  of  his  absence  from 
Washington  at  that  time ;  but  on  the  i  yth  he  sent 
to  the  President  a  note  with  reference  to  the  ar 
rangements  he  had  made  for  the  transportation  of 
the  Washington  invited  guests: 

"  It  is  proposed  by  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  road : 
First,  to  leave  Washington,  Thursday  morning  at 
6  A.M.,  Second,  to  leave  Baltimore  at  8  A.M.,  ar 
riving  at  Gettysburg  at  twelve,  noon,  thus  giving 
two  hours  to  view  the  ground  before  the  dedication 
ceremonies  commence.  Third,  to  leave  Gettys 
burg  at  6  P.M.,  and  arrive  at  Washington  at  mid 
night,  thus  doing  all  in  one  day. " 

This  arrangement  was  not  satisfactory  to  Mr. 
Lincoln.  The  time  at  Gettysburg  was  wholly  in 
sufficient  for  such  a  visit.  Busy  as  the  President 
was,  he  was  not  so  busy  but  that  he  could  give  all 
the  time  that  such  an  occasion  might  properly  de 
mand.  Then,  too,  an  accident  might  prevent  his 
reaching  Gettysburg  in  season,  and  he  wrote  upon 
this  note  from  Mr.  Stanton  the  following  endorse 
ment:  "I  do  not  like  the  arrangement.  I  do  not 
wish  to  so  go  that  by  the  slightest  accident  we  fail 
entirely;  and,  at  the  best,  the  whole  to  be  a  mere 
breathless  running  of  the  gauntlet.  But  any  way. ' ' 


94  The  Cemetery 

In  other  words,  if  no  other  arrangement  were  pos 
sible,  he  would  yield  of  course.  But  another  ar 
rangement  was  possible,  and  when  this  was  made 
the  President  was  informed  that  the  special  train 
would  leave  Washington  at  noon  on  Wednesday, 
November  i8th,  instead  of  6  A.M.,  on  Thursday, 
the  loth. 


CHAPTER  III 

PRESIDENT  LINCOLN   GOES  TO   GETTYSBURG 

'"PHREE  members  of  the  Cabinet  accompanied 
1  the  President  to  Gettysburg — Mr.  Seward, 
Secretary  of  State,  Mr.  Usher,  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  and  Mr.  Blair,  Postmaster-General.  The 
French  Minister,  M.  Mercier,  the  Italian  Minister, 
M.  Bertinatti,  and  several  legation  secretaries  and 
attache's  were  of  the  party.  Mr.  John  G.  Nicolay, 
the  President's  private  secretary,  and  Colonel  John 
Hay,  his  assistant  private  secretary,  were  in  attend 
ance  upon  the  President.  Among  the  guests,  also, 
were  Captain  H.  A.  Wise,  U.  S.  N.,  and  Mrs.  Wise, 
a  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Edward  Everett.  On  the 
train,  moreover,  were  newspaper  correspondents 
from  Washington,  and  a  military  guard  of  honor; 
also  military  officers  who  here  and  there  joined  the 
train  on  the  way  to  Gettysburg. 

The  special  train  reached  Gettysburg  at  the 
close  of  the  afternoon.  The  President  went  at 
once  to  the  home  of  Mr.  Wills,  v/hile  the  members 
of  his  Cabinet  who  were  present,  and  other  distin 
guished  quests,  were  made  welcome  in  other  homes. 

95 


96  The  Cemetery 

The  little  town  now  suddenly  become  so  famous 
was  already  full  of  visitors,  drawn  thither  by  the 
commemorative  services  of  the  following  day.  In 
the  evening  everywhere  were  heard  the  stirring 
strains  of  martial  music,  also  the  favorite  war- 
songs  as  sung  by  innumerable  glee-clubs.  Some 
of  the  more  prominent  guests  v/ere  serenaded,  and 
there  were  calls  for  speeches.  Mr.  Lincoln  re 
sponded  to  such  a  call  in  these  brief  words:  "I 
appear  before  you,  fellow-citizens,  merely  to  thank 
you  for  this  compliment.  The  inference  is  a  very 
fair  one  that  you  would  hear  me  for  a  little  while 
at  least,  were  I  to  commence  to  make  a  speech. 
I  do  not  appear  before  you  for  the  purpose  of 
doing  so,  and  for  several  substantial  reasons.  The 
most  substantial  of  these  is  that  I  have  no  speech 
to  make.  In  my  position  it  ic  somev/hat  import 
ant  that  I  should  not  say  any  foolish  things.  [A 
voice,  'If  you  can  help  it.']  It  very  of  ten  happens 
that  the  only  way  to  help  it  is  to  say  nothing  at 
all.  Believing  that  is  my  present  condition  this 
evening,  I  must  beg  of  you  to  excuse  me  from  ad 
dressing  you  further. " 

The  visitors  then  called  upon  other  distinguished 
guests,  and  short  addresses  were  made  by  Secre 
tary  Seward,  Representatives  McPherson  and 
McKnight,  Judge  Shannon,  Colonel  John  W.  For 
ney,  Wayne  MacVeagh,  and  perhaps  others.  Mr. 


Abraham  Lincoln. 

A  Drawing  from  Life  by  F.  B.  Carpenter 


Lincoln  Goes  to  Gettysburg        97 

Seward,  in  his  address  as  published  in  a  volume 
giving  an  account  of  the  consecration  of  the  ceme 
tery  at  Gettysburg,  printed  in  Boston  early  in  1864, 
is  made  to  cay,  "This  is  the  first  time  that  ever 
any  people  or  community  so  near  to  the  border  of 
Maryland  was  found  willing  to  listen  to  my  voice ' ' ; 
but  when  the  writer  was  in  Gettysburg  a  few 
years  ago,  and  Judge  Wills  was  giving  him  an 
account  of  President  Lincoln's  visit,  he  said 
that  Mr.  Seward,  instead  of  using  the  words  "so 
near  to  the  border  of  Maryland,"  said,  "on  this 
side  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line, "  meaning  the 
southern  side.  In  some  way,  strangely  enough,  he 
had  come  to  think  of  Gettysburg  as  being  in  the 
State  of  Maryland,  and  so  at  the  time  supposed  he 
was  speaking  largely  to  slave-holders.  In  fact  the 
note  of  this  presupposition  runs  all  through  the 
address,  for  Mr.  Seward  added:  "I  am  thankful 
that  you  are  willing  to  hear  me  at  last.  I  thank  my 
God  that  I  believe  this  strife  is  going  to  end  in  the 
removal  of  all  that  evil  which  ought  to  have  been 
removed  by  deliberate  councils  and  peaceful  means. 
['Good.']  I  thank  my  God  for  the  hope  . 
that  when  that  cause  is  removed,  simply  by  the 
operation  of  abolishing  it,  as  the  origin  and  agent 
of  the  treason  that  is  without  justification  and 
without  parallel,  we  shall  henceforth  be  united,  be 
only  one  country,  having  only  one  hope,  one 
7 


98  The  Cemetery 

ambition,  and  one  destiny.  To-morrow,  at  least, 
we  shall  feel  that  we  are  not  enemies,  but  that  we 
are  friends  and  brothers,  that  this  Union  is  a  reality, 
and  we  shall  mourn  together  for  the  evil  wrought 
by  this  rebellion.  .  .  .  When  we  part  to-morrow 
night,  let  us  remember  that  we  owe  it  to  our  coun 
try  and  to  mankind  that  this  war  shall  have  for 
its  conclusion  the  establishing  of  the  principle 
of  democratic  government — the  simple  principle 
that  whatever  party,  whatever  portion  of  the  com 
munity,  prevails  by  constitutional  suffrage  in  an 
election,  that  party  is  to  be  respected  and  main 
tained  in  power  until  it  shall  give  place,  on  another 
trial  and  another  verdict,  to  a  different  portion  of 
the  people.  If  you  do  not  do  this,  you  are  drift 
ing  at  once  and  irresistibly  to  the  very  verge  of 
universal,  cheerless,  and  hopeless  anarchy. "  There 
were  those  in  Maryland  to  whom  these  words  might 
very  appropriately  have  been  addressed,  but  they 
fell  with  somewhat  of  surprise  upon  the  ears  of 
loyal,  patriotic  Pennsylvanians. 

Between  nine  and  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening 
Mr.  Lincoln  sent  his  colored  servant  down  stairs 
with  a  request  for  Mr.  Wills  to  come  to  the 
President's  chamber.  When  Mr.  Wills  entered 
the  room,  the  President  said,  "  Mr.  Wills,  what 
do  you  expect  from  me  to-morrow  ?  "  Mr.  Wills 
replied,  "A  brief  address,  Mr.  President."  He 


Lincoln  Goes  to  Gettysburg         99 

then  left  the  President.  About  eleven  o'clock, 
Mr.  Lincoln  came  down  stairs  with  some  sheets 
of  paper  in  his  hand  and  asked  to  see  Mr.  Seward, 
who  was  the  guest  of  Robert  G.  Harper.  Mr. 
Wills  offered  to  go  and  get  the  Secretary.  "  No," 
said  the  President,  "  I  will  go  and  see  him." 
They  found  Mr.  Seward,  and  Mr.  Wills  left 
the  President  with  him.  Not  long  after,  Mr. 
Lincoln  returned  with  the  sheets  of  paper  in  his 
hand  and  retired.1 

It  has  been  said  that  Mr.  Lincoln  wrote  his  Get 
tysburg  address  in  the  car  on  his  way  to  the  con 
secration  services.  For  example,  Arnold,  in  his 
Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln,2  says  that  the  President, 
"while  in  the  cars  on  his  way  from  the  White 
House  to  the  battle-field,  was  notified  that  he 
would  be  expected  to  make  some  remarks  also"; 
that  "  asking  for  some  paper,  a  rough  sheet  of 
foolscap  was  handed  to  him,  and,  retiring  to  a  seat 
by  himself,  with  a  pencil  he  wrote  the  address. " 
Ben  Perley  Poore,  also,  in  his  Reminiscences  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,3  says  that  the  President's  re 
marks  at  Gettysburg  "  were  written  in  the  car  on 
his  way  from  Washington  to  the  battle-field,  upon 
a  piece  of  paste-board  held  on  his  knee. "  It  has 

1  Communicated  to  the  writer  by   Win.  P.  Quimby,  Esq. 
of  Gettysburg,  Judge  Wills' s  son-in-law. 

2  Page  328. 
»  Page  228. 


ioo  The  Cemetery 

been  said  also  that  Mr.  Lincoln  wrote  the  address 
upon  his  hat,  which  he  held  in  his  lap. 

On  the  contrary,  however,  Mr.  John  G.  Nicolay, 
President  Lincoln's  private  secretary,  who,  as  has 
been  stated,  accompanied  the  President  to  Gettys 
burg,  says :  "  There  is  neither  record,  evidence,  nor 
well-founded  tradition  that  Mr.  Lincoln  did  any  t 
writing,  or  made  any  .notes,  on  the  journey  be 
tween  Washington  and  Gettysburg.  The  train 
consisted  of  four  passenger  coaches,  and  either 
composition  or  writing  would  have  been  extremely 
troublesome  amid  all  the  movement,  the  noise,  the 
conversation,  the  greeting,  and  the  questionings 
which  ordinary  courtesy  required  him  to  undergo 
in  these  surroundings ;  but  still  worse  would  have 
been  the  rockings  and  joltings  of  the  train,  ren 
dering  writing  virtually  impossible. "  l 

Noah  Brooks,  in  his  Life  of  Lincoln,2  says  that, 
a  few  days  before  the  igth  of  November,  Mr. 
Lincoln  told  him  that  Mr.  Everett  had  kindly  sent 
to  him  a  copy  of  his  address  in  order  that  the 
same  ground  might  not  be  gone  over  by  both,  but 
Mr.  Lincoln  added:  "There  is  no  danger  that  I 
shall.  My  speech  is  all  blocked  out.  It  is  very 
short.  "  When  Mr.  Brooks  asked  the  President  if 
the  address  was  written,  Mr.  Lincoln  replied, 

1  Century  Magazine t  vol.  xxv,  p.  60 1. 

2  Page  394. 


Lincoln  Goes  to  Gettysburg       101 

"Not  exactly    written;    it  is    not  finished,  any 
way." 

A  part  of  the  address,  however,  was  written  on 
the  day  before  Mr.  Lincoln  left  Washington  for 
Gettysburg.  This  much  we  know  on  the  testi 
mony  of  Private  Secretary  Nicolay,  who  a  few 
years  ago  published  a  facsimile  reproduction  of 
this  original  draft  of  the  President's  Gettysburg 
address.1  It  reads  as  follows : 

"  EXECUTIVE  MANSION, 
"Washington,  .    .  .   1863. 

"  Four  score  and  seven  years  ago  our  fathers 
brought  forth,  upon  this  continent,  a  new  nation, 
conceived  in  liberty,  and  dedicated  to  the  propo 
sition  that  *  all  men  are  created  equal . ' 

"Now  we  are  engaged  in  a  great  civil  war, 
testing  whether  that  nation  or  any  nation  so 
conceived  and  so  dedicated,  can  long  endure. 
We  are  met  on  a  great  battle-field  of  that  war.  We 
have  come  to  dedicate  a  portion  of  it,  as  a  final 
resting  place  for  those  who  died  here,  that  the 
nation  might  live.  This  we  may,  in  all  propriety 
do.  But,  in  a  larger  sense,  we  can  not  dedicate — 
we  can  not  consecrate — we  can  not  hallow — this 
ground.  The  brave  men,  living  and  dead,  who 
struggled  here,  have  hallowed  it  far  above  our 
poor  power  to  add  or  detract.  The  world  will  little 

1  Century  Magazine,  vol.  xxv,  pp.  598,  599. 


102  The  Cemetery 

note,  nor  long  remember  what  we  say  here ;  while 
it  can  never  forget  what  they  did  here. 

"It  is  rather  for  us,  the  living,  we  here  be 
dedica — "* 

The  page  closes  with  these  words.  Mr.  Nicolay 
says:  "The  whole  of  the  first  page — nineteen  lines 
— is  written  in  ink  in  the  President's  strong,  clear 
hand,  without  blot  or  erasure;  and  the  last  line  is 
in  the  following  form :  *  It  is  rather  for  us  the 
living  to  stand  here, '  the  last  three  words  being, 
like  the  rest,  in  ink.  From  the  fact  that  this  sen 
tence  is  incomplete,  we  may  infer  that  at  the  time 
of  writing  it  in  Washington  the  remainder  of  the 
sentence  was  also  written  in  ink  on  another  piece 
of  paper.  But  when,  at  Gettysburg  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  ceremonies,  Mr.  Lincoln  finished  his  man 
uscript,  he  used  a  lead  pencil,  with  which  he 
crossed  out  the  last  three  words  of  the  first  page, 
and  wrote  above  them  in  pencil  '  we  here  be  ded 
ica-  '  at  which  point  he  took  up  a  new  half  sheet 
of  paper — not  white  letter  paper  as  before,  but  a 
bluish-gray  foolscap  of  large  size  with  wide  lines, 
habitually  used  by  him  for  long  or  formal  doc 
uments, — and  on  this  he  wrote,  all  in  pencil,  the 
remainder  of  the  word,  and  of  the  first  draft  of 
the  address,  comprising  a  total  of  nine  lines  and 
a  half.  "2 

1  Century  Magazine,  vol,  xxv,  pp.  598,  599. 

2  Century  Magazine,  vol.  xxv.,  pp.  60 1,  602. 


Lincoln  Goes  to  Gettysburg       103 

The  part  of  the  address  on  this  second  sheet  is 
as  follows:  ' 

"ted  to  the  great  task  remaining  before  us — 
that,  from  these  honored  dead  we  take  increased 
devotion  to  that  cause  for  which  they  here  gave 
the  last  full  measure  of  devotion — that  we  here 
highly  resolve  these  dead  shall  not  have  died  in 
vain;  that  the  nation  shall  have  a  new  birth  of 
freedom,  and  that  government  of  the  people,  by  the 
people,  for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  from  the 
earth. "  * 

Mr.  Nicolay  wrote  his  statement  with  reference 
to  Mr.  Lincoln's  address  thirty  years  after  the  con 
secration  of  the  cemetery  at  Gettysburg.  He 
gives  his  recollection  of  the  finishing  of  the  address 
in  these  words :  "  It  was  after  the  breakfast  hour  on 
the  morning  of  the  igth,  that  the  writer,  Mr.  Lin 
coln's  private  secretary,  went  to  the  upper  room 
in  the  house  of  Mr.  Wills  which  Mr.  Lincoln  occu 
pied,  to  report  for  duty,  and  remained  with  the 
President  while  he  finished  writing  the  Gettysburg 
address,  during  the  short  leisure  he  could  utilize 
for  this  purpose  before  being  called  to  take  his 
place  in  the  procession,  which  was  announced  on 
the  program  to  move  promptly  at  ten  o  'clock. "  2 

It  seems  hardly  possible  that,  with  the  quiet  and 

»  Century  Magazine,  vol.  xxv.,  p.  600. 
9  Century  Magazine,  vol.  xxv.,  p.  60 1. 


104  The  Cemetery 

leisure  of  the  evening  before,  Mr.  Lincoln  would 
have  left  the  preparation  of  the  conclusion  of  his 
address  until  the  busy  moments  of  the  after-break 
fast  hour  of  the  next  morning,  with  the  exception 
of  the  last  touches  which  doubtless  occupied  his 
attention.  Major  W.  H.  Lambert  of  Philadelphia 
makes  this  statement:  "The  Hon.  Edward  Mc- 
Pherson  and  Judge  Wills  of  Gettysburg  are  of  the 
opinion  that  the  address  was  written  in  Mr.  Lin 
coln's  room  at  Judge  Wills 's  house,  where  he  was 
guest  during  his  stay  in  Gettysburg.  There  ap 
pears  to  be  no  doubt  of  the  correctness  of  Mr.  Mc- 
Pherson's  assertion  that  before  retiring  on  the 
night  of  the  i8th  the  President  inquired  the  order 
of  the  exercises  of  the  next  day,  and  wrote  out  his 
remarks  there,  and  it  is  probable  that  what  he 
wrote  was  the  final  draft  of  his  address  before  its 
delivery."  l 

When  these  words  were  written,  Major  Lambert 
had  not  seen  Mr.  Nicolay's  statement  with  refer 
ence  to  the  first  page  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  original  draft 
of  the  Gettysburg  address.  His  language,  how 
ever,  implies  an  original  draft.  Nor,  evidently, 
had  Mr.  Nicolay  any  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  in 
the  evening  of  the  i8th,  Mr.  Lincoln  had  asked 
Mr.  Wills  what  was  expected  of  him  in  connection 
with  the  consecration  services,  and  had  received 

1  Century  Magazine,  vol.  xxv.,  p.  637. 


Lincoln  Goes  to  Gettysburg      105 


from  him  writing  materials  in  accordance  with  a 
request  of  the  President.  As  all  the  evidence  with 
reference  to  the  composition  of  the  original  draft 
of  the  Gettysburg  address  is  now  in,  therefore,  the 
facts  seem  to  be  these:  that  on  the  day  before  he 
left  Washington  for  Gettysburg,  Mr.  Lincoln,  who 
had  already  "blocked  out"  his  address,  wrote  in 
ink  the  first  page  on  paper  with  the  Executive 
Mansion  letter-head,  and  he  may  have  completed 
the  address — probably  did — on  another  sheet  of 
the  same  paper.  At  Gettysburg,  however,  where 
he  went  over  the  address  again,  he  was  dissatisfi 
with  the  conclusion,  if  the  conclusion  had  been 
written ;  or,  if  it  had  not  been  written,  he  now  com 
pleted  the  address,  probably  in  the  evening  of  the 
1 8th,  possibly  on  the  morning  of  the  igth,  in  the 
house  of  Mr.  Wills,  using  a  lead-pencil,  striking 
out,  on  the  first  sheet  written  in  ink  in  Washington, 
the  words  "to  stand  here,"  and  adding  the  words 
in  pencil,  "we  here  be  dedica-."  This  pencil 
change  at  the  bottom  of  the  first  page  was  evident 
ly  a  hurried  one,  "we"  being  used  for  "to,"  but 
there  is  no  evidence  of  haste  either  in  the  composi 
tion  or  the  writing  of  the  nine  and  a  half  lines  on 
the  second  page. 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE  CONSECRATION  SERVICES 

ARLY  on  the  morning  of  November  iQth  all 
was  stir  and  bustle  in  Gettysburg.  The  day 
was  a  serene,  delightful  one.  The  little  town  was 
crowded.  There  were  the  usual  delays  in  forming 
the  procession.  The  President  was  mounted,  as 
also  were  Secretaries  Seward,  Usher,  and  Blair, 
with  others  of  the  official  retinue.  Mr.  Nicolay 
tells  us  that  as  soon  as  Mr.  Lincoln  appeared  in  the 
procession  he  was  besieged  by  a  throng  of  people 
eager  to  shake  hands  with  the  President,  and  that 
the  marshals  had  some  difficulty  in  inducing  the 
crowd  to  desist  and  allow  Mr.  Lincoln  to  sit  in 
peace  upon  his  horse.  In  the  military  part  of  the 
procession  were  Generals  Schenck,  Stahel,  Stone- 
man,  and  their  staffs,  and  numerous  other  officers 
of  less  prominence.  It  was  not  until  about  eleven 
o'clock  that  the  presidential  party  reached  the 
platform  in  the  cemetery.1  "Mr.  Everett,  the 

*  "A  stage,  hardly  more,  as  it  seemed,  by  comparison  with 
what  it  should  have  been,  than  'seven  by  nine,'  and  elevated 
only  three  feet  from  the  ground,  had  been  built  facing  the 
cemetery,  the  town,  the  rebel  position,  the  country  around 
and  the  grand  chain  of  high  hills  whose  tops  ascend  to  meet 
the  distant  horizon. " — Boston  Daily  Advertiser,  Nov,  23, 1863. 

106 


The  Consecration  Services        107 

orator  of  the  day,  arrived  fully  half  an  hour  later, 
and  there  was  still  further  waiting  before  the  mili 
tary  bodies  and  civic  spectators  could  be  properly 
arranged  and  stationed." 

The  following  was  the  program  at  the  conse 
cration  services: 

Music  by   Borgfield's   Band. 

Prayer  by  Rev.  T.  H.  Stockton,  D.D. 

Music  by  the  Marine  Band . 

Oration  by  Hon.  Edward  Everett. 

Music,  Hymn  composed  by  B.  B.  French,  Esq. 

Dedicatory  Remarks  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States. 

Dirge  sung  by  Choir  selected  for  the  occasion. 

Benediction  by  Rev.  H.  L.  Baugher,  D.D. 

The  prayer  by  Dr.  Stockton  was  a  fervent,  im 
pressive  recognition  of  the  divine  presence  in  the 
great  victory  vouchsafed  to  our  arms  on  this  now 
historic  field,  together  with  an  earnest  appeal  for 
the  blessing  of  God  upon  the  nation's  defenders: 
"  O  Father,  bless  us !  Bless  the  bereaved ,  whether 
present  or  absent ;  bless  our  sick  and  wounded  sol 
diers  and  sailors;  bless  all  our  rulers  and  people; 
bless  our  army  and  navy ;  bless  the  efforts  for  the 
suppression  of  the  rebellion;  and  bless  all  the  as 
sociations  of  this  day  and  place  and  scene  forever. 
As  the  trees  are  not  dead,  though  their  foliage  is 
gone,  so  our  heroes  are  not  dead,  though  their 


io8  The  Cemetery 

forms  have  fallen.  In  their  proper  personality 
they  are  all  with  Thee.  And  the  spirit  of  their 
example  is  here.  It  fills  the  air;  it  fills  our  hearts. 
And  long  as  time  shall  last  it  will  hover  in  these 
skies,  and  rest  on  this  landscape ;  and  the  pilgrims 
of  our  land,  and  from  all  lands,  will  thrill  with  its 
inspiration,  and  increase  and  confirm  their  devo 
tion  to  liberty,  religion,  and  God." 

The  oration  by  the  Hon.  Edward  Everett  fol 
lowed.  It  opened — it  was  then  fully  noon — with  a 
brief  and  eloquent  review  of  the  events,  political 
and  military,  that  culminated  in  the  battle  of  Get 
tysburg.  This  was  followed  by  a  carefully  prepared 
description  of  the  battle.  Then,  at  some  length, 
Mr.  Everett  considered  the  question,  "  Which  of 
the  two  parties  to  the  war  is  responsible  for  all 
this  suffering,  for  this  dreadful  sacrifice  of  life — 
the  lawful  and  constitutional  government  of  the 
United  States,  or  the  ambitious  men  who  have  re 
belled  against  it?"  Mr.  Everett  was  not  an  ex 
tremist.  Because  of  his  strong  Union  sentiments 
he  had  been  a  friend  to  the  South  when  others  with 
whom  he  had  been  affiliated  in  party  relations  had 
found  it  impossible  to  be  friendly.  But  coming  to 
this  part  of  his  oration  he  stated  his  own  convic 
tions  in  these  forceful  words : 

"  I  say  'rebelled '  against  it,  although  Earl  Rus 
sell,  the  British  Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign 


The  Consecration  Services        109 

Affairs,  in  his  recent  temperate  and  conciliatory 
speech  in  Scotland,  seems  to  intimate  that  no  pre 
judice  ought  to  attach  to  that  word,  inasmuch  as 
our  English  forefathers  rebelled  against  Charles  I. 
and  James  II.,  and  our  American  fathers  rebelled 
against  George  III.  These  certainly  are  venerable 
precedents,  but  they  prove  only  that  it  is  just  and 
proper  to  rebel  against  oppressive  governments. 
They  do  not  prove  that  it  was  just  and  proper  for 
the  son  of  James  II.  to  rebel  against  George  I.,  or 
his  grandson  Charles  Edward  to  rebel  against 
George  II. ;  nor,  as  it  seems  to  me,  ought  these  dy 
nastic  struggles,  little  better  than  family  quarrels, 
to  be  compared  with  this  monstrous  conspiracy 
against  the  American  Union.  These  precedents 
do  not  prove  that  it  was  just  and  proper  for  the 
1  disappointed  great  men '  of  the  cotton-growing 
States  to  rebel  against  'the  most  beneficent  govern 
ment  of  which  history  gives  us  any  account,'  as 
the  Vice- President  of  the  Confederacy,  in  Novem 
ber,  1860,  charged  them  with  doing.  They  do  not 
create  a  presumption  even  in  favor  of  the  disloyal 
slave-holders  of  the  South,  who,  living  under  a 
government  of  which  Mr.  Jefferson  Davis,  in  the 
session  of  1 860-6 1 ,  said  that  it  was  the  'best  govern 
ment  ever  instituted  by  man,  unexceptionably  ad 
ministered,  and  under  which  the  people  have  been 
prosperous  beyond  comparison  with  any  other 


no  The  Cemetery 

people  whose  career  has  been  recorded  in  history,' 
rebelled  against  it  because  their  aspiring  poli 
ticians,  himself  among  the  rest,  were  in  danger  of 
losing  their  monopoly  of  its  offices.  What  would 
have  been  thought,  by  an  impartial  posterity,  of  the 
American  rebellion  against  George  III.  if  the  colo 
nists  had  at  all  times  been  more  than  equally 
represented  in  Parliament,  and  James  Otis  and  Pat 
rick  Henry  and  Washington  and  Franklin  and  the 
Adamses  and  Hancock  and  Jefferson,  and  men  of 
their  stamp,  had  for  two  generations  enjoyed  the 
confidence  of  the  sovereign  and  administered  the 
government  of  the  empire?  What  would  have 
been  thought  of  the  rebellion  against  Charles  I.  if 
Cromwell  and  the  men  of  his  school  had  been  the 
responsible  advisers  of  that  prince  from  his  acces 
sion  to  the  throne,  and  then,  on  account  of  a  partial 
change  in  the  ministry,  had  brought  his  head  to 
the  block,  and  involved  the  country  in  a  desolating 
war,  for  the  sake  of  dismembering  it  and  establish 
ing  a  new  government  south  of  the  Trent?  What 
would  have  been  thought  of  the  Whigs  of  1688,  if 
they  had  themselves  composed  the  cabinet  of 
James  II.  and  been  the  advisers  of  the  measures 
and  the  promoters  of  the  policy  which  drove  him 
into  exile?  The  Puritans  of  1640  and  the  Whigs 
of  1688  rebelled  against  arbitrary  power  in  order 
to  establish  constitutional  liberty.  If  they  had 


The  Consecration  Services        m 

risen  against  Charles  and  James  because  those 
monarchs  favored  equal  rights,  and  in  order  them 
selves  'for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  world ' 
to  establish  an  oligarchy  'founded  on  the  corner 
stone  of  slavery, '  they  would  truly  have  furnished 
a  precedent  for  the  rebels  of  the  South,  but  their 
cause  would  not  have  been  sustained  by  the  elo 
quence  of  Pym  or  of  Somers,  nor  sealed  with  the 
blood  of  Hampden  or  Russell.  "* 

The  various  arguments  used  in  the  seceding 
States  in  justification  of  the  war  were  then  ex 
amined  and  refuted,  and  the  oration  closed  with  an 
eloquent  peroration  in  which  Mr.  Everett  gave  fer 
vent,  forceful  expression  to  the  conviction  that, 
although  he  was  speaking  while  the  war  was  still  in 
progress,  reunion  and  reconciliation  would  surely 
follow  the  conflict  between  the  two  hostile  sections 
of  the  country,  insisting  that  the  "bonds  of  union 
are  of  perennial  force  and  energy,  while  the  causes 
of  alienation  are  imaginary,  factitious,  and  tran 
sient.  "  Invoking  upon  the  honored  graves  near 
where  he  spoke  heartfelt  benedictions,  he  added : 

"  God  bless  the  Union ;  it  is  dearer  to  us  for  the 
blood  of  brave  men  which  has  been  shed  in  its  de 
fence.  The  spots  on  which  they  stood  and  fell — 
these  pleasant  heights;  the  fertile  plain  beneath 

i  Address  of  Hon.  Edward  Everett,  Boston  Edition,  1864, 
pp.  61-63. 


ii2  The  Cemetery 

them;  the  thriving  village  whose  streets  so  lately 
rang  with  the  strange  din  of  war ;  the  fields  beyond 
the  ridge,  where  the  noble  Reynolds  held  the  ad 
vancing  foe  at  bay,  and,  while  he  gave  up  his  own 
life,  assured  by  his  forethought  and  self-sacrifice 
the  triumph  of  the  two  succeeding  days ;  the  little 
streams  which  wind  through  the  hills,  on  whose 
banks  in  after-times  the  wondering  ploughman  will 
turn  up,  with  the  rude  weapons  of  savage  warfare, 
the  fearful  missiles  of  modern  artillery ;  Seminary 
Ridge,  the  Peach  Orchard,  Cemetery,  Gulp,  and 
Wolf  Hills,  Round  Top,  Little  Round  Top,  humble 
names,  henceforward  dear  and  famous — no  lapse 
of  time,  no  distance  of  space,  shall  cause  you  to  be 
be  forgotten.  '  The  whole  earth, '  said  Pericles,  as 
he  stood  over  the  remains  of  his  fellow-citizens 
who  had  fallen  in  the  first  year  of  the  Peloponne- 
sian  war,  '  the  whole  earth  is  the  sepulchre  of  illus 
trious  men.'  All  time,  he  might  have  added,  is  the 
millenium  of  their  glory.  Surely  I  would  do  no  in 
justice  to  the  other  noble  achievements  of  the  war, 
which  have  reflected  such  honor  on  both  arms  of 
the  service,  and  have  entitled  the  armies  and  the 
navy  of  the  United  States,  their  officers  and  men. 
to  the  warmest  thanks  and  the  richest  rewards 
which  a  grateful  people  can  pay.  But  they,  I  ^m 
sure,  will  join  us  in  saying,  as  we  bid  farewell  to  the 
dust  of  these  martyr  heroes,  that  wheresoever 


The  Consecration  Services        113 

throughout  the  civilized  world  the  accounts  of  this 
great  warfare  are  read,  and  down  to  the  latest  pe 
riod  of  recorded  time,  in  the  glorious  annals  of  our 
common  country  there  will  be  no  brighter  page 
than  that  which  relates  to  the  battles  of  Get 
tysburg."  l 

The  long  and  hearty  applause  that  followed  bore  i 
witness  to  the  profound  impression  Mr.  Everett 
had  made  upon  his  hearers.  "For  two  hours," 
says  Mr.  Nicolay, "  he  held  the  assembled  multitude 
in  rapt  attention  with  his  eloquent  description 
and  argument,  his  polished  diction,  his  carefully 
studied  and  practised  delivery."  No  other  ora 
tion  of  Mr.  Everett's,  with  the  exception  of  his 
masterly  oration  on  Washington,  will  so  long  be 
remembered  as  this  in  the  cemetery  at  Gettysburg. 
It  was  in  every  way  worthy  of  the  occasion. 

The  following  hymn,  composed  by  B.  B.  French, 
Esq.,  was  then  sung  by  the  Maryland  Musical 
Association  of  Baltimore: 

" '  T  is  holy  ground, — 
This  spot  where  in  their  graves 
We  place  our  country's  braves 
Who  fell  in  Freedom's  holy  cause, 
Fighting  for  liberties  and  laws: 

Let  tears  abound. 

1  Address,  pp.,  81,82. 


ii4  The  Cemetery 

"Here  let  them  rest; 
And  summer's  heat  and  winter's  cold 
Shall  glow  and  freeze  above  this  mould, 
A  thousand  years  shall  pass  away, — 
A  nation  still  shall  mourn  this  clay, 

Which  now  is  blest. 

"  Here,  where  they  fell, 
Oft  shall  the  widow's  tear  be  shed, 
Oft  shall  fond  parents  mourn  their  dead; 
The  orphan  here  shall  kneel  and  weep, 
And  maidens,  where  their  lovers  sleep, 

Their  woes  shall  tell. 

"  Great  God  in  heaven! 
Shall  all  this  sacred  blood  be  shed? 
Shall  we  thus  mourn  our  glorious  dead? 
Oh!  shall  the  end  be  wrath  and  woe, 
The  knell  of  Freedom's  overthrow, 

A  country  riven? 

"  It  will  not  be ! 

We  trust,  O  God,  Thy  gracious  power 
To  aid  us  in  our  darkest  hour. 
This  be  our  prayer, —  "  Father,  save 
A  people's  freedom  from  its  grave. 

All  praise  to  Thee!  " 

When   this    hymn   had   been   sung,  President 

I    Lincoln  rose  to  deliver  his  brief  address.     He  held 

his  manuscript  in  his  hand,  but  according  to  Mr. 

Nicolay,  who  sat  within  a  few  feet  of  the  President, 


The  Consecration  Services        1 1 5 

he  did  not  read  from  the  written  pages,  "  though 
that  impression, "  he  says, ' '  was  naturally  left  upon 
many  of  its  auditors.  That  it  was  not  a  mere  me 
chanical  reading  is,  however,  more  definitely  con 
firmed  by  the  circumstance  that  Mr.  Lincoln  did 
not  deliver  the  address  in  the  exact  form  in  which 
his  first  draft  is  written . "  As  taken  down  in  short 
hand  by  the  reporter  for  the  Associated  Press,  and 
carried  by  telegraph  to  every  part  of  the  loyal 
States,  the  address  was  as  follows: 

"  Four  score  and  seven  years  ago  our  fathers 
brought  forth  upon  this  continent  "a  new  nation, 
conceived  in  liberty,  and  dedicated  to  the  proposi 
tion  that  all  men  are  created  equal.  [Applause.] 
Now  we  are  engaged  in  a  great  civil  war,  testing 
whether  that  nation  or  any  nation  so  conceived 
and  so  dedicated  can  long  endure.  We  are  met  on 
a  great  battle-field  of  that  war.  We  are  met  to 
dedicate  a  portion  of  it  as  the  final  resting  place  of 
those  who  here  gave  their  lives  that  that  nation 
might  live.  It  is  altogether  fitting  and  proper  that 
we  should  do  this.  /  But  in  a  larger  sense  we  cannot 
dedicate,  we  cannot  consecrate,  we  cannot  hallow 
this  ground.  The  brave  men,  living  and  dead,  who" 
struggled  here  have  consecrated  it  far  above  our 
power  to  add  or  detract.  [Applause.]  The  world 
will  little  note  nor  long  remember  what  we  say 
here,  but  it  can  never  forget  what  they  did  here. 


ii6  The  Cemetery 

[Applause.]  It  is  for  us,  the  living,  rather  to  be 
dedicated  here  to  the  unfinished  1  work  that  they 
have  thus  far  so  nobly  -carried -on.  [Applause.] 
It  is  rather  for  us  to  be  here  dedicated  to  the 
great  task  remaining  before  us ;  that  from  these 
honored  dead  we  take  increased  devotion  to  that 
cause  for  which  they  here  gave  the  last  full  meas 
ure  of  devotion;  that  we  here  highly  resolve  that 
the  dead  shall  not  have  died  in  vain  [applause] ; 
that  the  nation  shall,  under  God,  have  a  new  birth 
of  freedom ;  and  that  government  of  the  people, 
by  the  people,  and  for  the  people  shall  not 
perish  from  the  earth."  [Long  continued  ap 
plause.] 

The  principal  emendations  made  in  the  delivery 
of  the  address  were  these:  " Those  who  died  here" 
was  changed  to  "  Those  who  here  gave  their  lives. " 
"  This  we  may  in  all  propriety  do  "  was  changed  to 
"  It  is  altogether  fitting  and  proper  that  we  should 
do  this. "  The  sentence  "It  is  rather  for  us  the 
living  we  here  be  dedicated  to  the  great  task  re 
maining  before  us"  became  two  sentences — "It 
is  for  us  the  living  to  be  dedicated  here  to  the  un 
finished  work  that  they  have  thus  far  so  nobly 
carried  on.  It  is  rather  for  us  to  be  here  dedicated 
to  the  great  task  remaining  before  us."  The 

i  In  printing  the  address,  the  New  York  Herald  had  here 
"refmished"  instead  of  "unfinished." 


The  Consecration  Services        117 

phrase  "shall  have  anew  birth  of  freedom"  was 
changed  as  follows :  "  shall,  under  God,  have  a  new 
birth  of  freedom."  There  were  also  quite  a  num 
ber  of  verbal  changes  in  the  Associated  Press  report 
which  were  manifestly  errors  of  the  shorthand  re 
porter.  The  changes  Mr.  Lincoln  himself  made 
added  to  the  beauty  and  dignity  of  the  language 
employed,  rounding  out  the  address  "  to  nearly  its 
final  rhetorical  completeness."  As  Mr.  Nicolay 
says:  "The  changes  may  have  been  prompted  by 
the  oratorical  impulse  of  the  moment;  but  it  is 
more  likely  that  in  the  interval  of  four  hours  occu 
pied  by  coming  to  the  grounds,  and  the  delivery 
of  Mr.  Everett's  oration,  he  fashioned  the  phrases 
anew  in  his  silent  thought,  and  had  these  ready  for 
use  when  he  rose  to  speak. 5>1 

The  State  of  Massachusetts  was  represented  at 
the  consecration  services  by  a  commission  appoint 
ed  by  Governor  Andrew,  consisting  of  Henry  Ed 
wards,  George  W.  Bond,  and  Charles  Hale.  In  their 
report  to  Governor  Andrew,  they  gave  in  full  Mr. 
Everett's  oration  and  Mr.  Lincoln's  address.  "  The 
latter,"  they  say,  "which  has  not  generally  been 
printed  rightly,  having  been  marred  by  errors  in 
telegraphing,  is  appended  in  the  correct  form,  as 
the  words  actually  spoken  by  the  President,  with 
great  deliberation,  were  taken  down  by  one  of  the 

1  Century  Magazine,   vol.  xxv.,  p.  604. 


n8  The  Cemetery 

undersigned. "  Doubtless  the  reference  is  to  Mr. 
Hale,  who  was  an  experienced  journalist.  His 
report  of  the  address  was  as  follows : 

"Fourscore  and  seven  years  ago,  our  fathers 
brought  forth  upon  this  continent  a  new  nation, 
conceived  in  liberty  and  dedicated  to  the  proposi 
tion  that  all  men  are  created  equal. 

"  Now  we  are  engaged  in  a  great  civil  war,  testing 
whether  that  nation  or  any  nation,  so  conceived 
and  dedicated,  can  long  endure. 

"  We  are  met  on  a  great  battle-field  of  that  war. 
We  are  met  to  dedicate  a  portion  of  it  as  the  final 
resting-place  of  those  who  have  given  their  lives 
that  that  nation  might  live. 

"It  is  altogether  fitting  and  proper  that  we 
should  do  this. 

"  But,  in  a  larger  sense,  we  cannot  dedicate,  we 
cannot  consecrate,  we  cannot  hallow,  this  ground. 
The  brave  men,  living  and  dead,  who  struggled 
here  have  consecrated  it,  far  above  our  power  to 
add  or  detract. 

"  The  world  will  very  little  note  nor  long  remem 
ber  what  we  say  here ;  but  it  can  never  forget  what 
they  did  here. 

11  It  is  for  us,  the  living,  rather,  to  be  dedicated, 
here,  to  the  unfinished  work  that  they  have  thus 
far  so  nobly  carried  on.  It  is  rather  for  us  to  be 
here  dedicated  to  the  great  task  remaining  before 


The  Consecration  Services        119 

us;  that  from  these  honored  dead  we  take  in 
creased  devotion  to  that  cause  for  which  they  here 
gave  the  last  full  measure  of  devotion ;  that  we 
here  highly  resolve  that  these  dead  shall  not  have 
died  in  vain ;  that  the  nation  shall,  under  God,  have 
a  new  birth  of  freedom,  and  that  government  of 
the  people,  by  the  people,  for  the  people,  shall  not 
perish  from  the  earth.  "  1 

Mr.  Lincoln's  address  was  followed  by  a  dirge, 
with  words  by  Mr.  James  G.  Percival  and  music 
by  Mr.  Alfred  Delaney: 

"Oh!  it  is  great  for  our  country  to  die,  whose  ranks 

are  contending; 
Bright  is  the  wreath  of  our  fame;  glory  awaits  us 

for  aye ; 
Glory  that  never  is  dim,  shining  on  with  a  light  never 

ending, 
Glory  that  never  shall  fade,  never,  oh,  never  away! 

"Oh!  it  is  sweet  for  our  country  to  die.  How  softly 

reposes 
Warrior  youth  on  his  bier,  wet  by  the  tears  of  his 

love, 
Wet  by  a  mother's  warm  tears;  they  crown  him  with 

garlands  of  roses, 

Weep   and  then  joyously   turn    bright  where  he 
triumphs  above. 

1  Senate  Document,  No.  i,  1864,  p.  xxii. 


120  The  Cemetery 

"Not  in  Elysian  fields,  by  the  still,  oblivious  river, 
Not  in  the  Ides  of  the  Blest,  over  the  blue  rolling 

sea; 
But  on  Olympian  heights  shall  dwell  the  devoted 

forever; 

There   shall   assemble   the  good,    there   the  wise, 
valiant  and  free. 

"Oh!  then  how  great  for  our  country  to   die,  in  the 

front  rank  perish, 
Firm  with  our  breast  to  the  foe,  victory's  shouts 

in  our  ear; 
Long   they   our   statues   shall   crown,   in   songs  our 

memory  cherish; 

We  shall  look  forth  from  our  heaven,  pleased  the 
sweet  music  to  hear. 

The  benediction  was  by  the  Rev.  H.  L.  Baugher, 
D.D.,  the  president  of  Pennsylvania  College  at 
Gettysburg : 

"  O  thou  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,  God 
of  the  nations  of  the  earth,  who  by  Thy  kind  provi 
dence  hast  permitted  us  to  engage  in  these  solemn 
services,  grant  us  thy  blessing!  Bless  this  conse 
crated  ground,  and  these  holy  graves!  Bless  the 
President  of  these  United  States  and  his  Cabinet! 
Bless  the  governors  and  the  representatives  of 
the  States  here  assembled  with  all  needed  to  con 
duct  the  affairs  committed  into  their  hands,  to  the 
glory  of  Thy  great  name,  and  the  greatest  good  of 


The  Consecration  Services        121 

the  people!  May  this  great  nation  be  delivered 
from  treason  and  rebellion  at  home,  and  from  the 
power  of  enemies  abroad. 

"And  now  may  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  love  of  God  our  heavenly  Father,  and 
the  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Ghost  be  with  you  all. 
Amen." 

The  services  connected  with  the  consecration  of 
the  National  Cemetery  at  Gettysburg  thus  came 
to  an  end.  At  the  close  of  the  day,  the  President 
and  many  of  the  other  invited  guests  left  Gettys 
burg  on  a  special  train,  which  reached  Washington 
about  midnight. 


CHAPTER  V 

IMPRESSION   MADE    BY  PRESIDENT  LINCOLN'S 
ADDRESS 

WITH  reference  to  the  impression  made  by 
President  Lincoln's  address  at  the  time  of 
its  delivery,  contrary  statements  have  been  made. 
One  writer,  reviewing  these  statements,  says  that 
the  most  plausible  view  is  that  the  address  was  "  re 
ceived  by  the  assemblage  in  comparative  silence. " 
But  the  Associated  Press  report  shows  that  five 
times  it  was  interrupted  by  "applause,"  and  that 
at  the  close  there  was  "long-continued  applause." 
The  Hon.  Ward  H.  Lamon  says  that  after  the  de 
livery  of  the  address  Mr.  Lincoln  regretted  that  it 
had  not  been  more  carefully  prepared.  "  Lamon," 
he  said,  "that  speech  won't  scour.  It  is  a  flat 
failure.  The  people  are  disappointed." 

Also,  according  to  Mr.  Lamon,  Mr.  Everett  and 
Secretary  Seward  thought  the  address  a  failure. 
It  happens,  however,  that  a  note  written  by  Mr. 
Everett  to  President  Lincoln  with  reference  to  his 
address  has  been  preserved.  It  was  written  the 
day  after  the  consecration  services,  and  was  as 
follows : 

122 


President  Lincoln's  Address      123 

"  Not  wishing  to  intrude  upon  your  privacy, 
when  you  must  be  much  engaged,  I  beg  leave 
in  this  way  to  thank  you  very  sincerely  for  your 
great  thoughtfulness  for  my  daughter's  accommo 
dation  on  the  platform  yesterday,  and  much  kind 
ness  otherwise  to  me  and  mine  at  Gettysburg. 
Permit  me  also  to  express  my  great  admiration  of 
the  thoughts  expressed  by  you,  with  such  eloquent 
simplicity  and  appropriateness,  at  the  consecra 
tion  of  the  cemetery.  I  should  be  glad  if  I  could  r 
flatter  myself  that  I  came  as  near  to  the  central, 
idea  of  the  occasion  in  my  two  hours  as  you  did' 
in  two  minutes.  My  son,  who  parted  from  me  at 
Baltimore,  and  my  daughter  concur  in  this  senti 
ment.  " 

To  this  very  complimentary  note  Mr.  Lincoln 
replied  on  the  same  day:  "  Your  kind  note  of  to 
day  is  received.  In  our  respective  parts  yesterday 
you  could  not  have  been  excused  to  make  a  short 
address,  nor  I  a  long  one.  I  am  pleased  to  know 
that,  in  your  judgment,  the  little  I  did  say  was 
not  entirely  a  failure.  Of  course  I  knew  Mr.  Everett 
would  not  fail ;  and  yet,  while  the  whole  discourse 
was  eminently  satisfactory,  and  will  be  of  great 
value,  there  were  passages  in  it  which  transcended 
my  expectations.  The  point  made  against  the 
theory  of  the  General  Government  being  only  an 
agency,  whose  principals  are  the  States,  was  new  to 


124  The  Cemetery 

me,  and,  as  I  think,  is  one  of  the  best  arguments 
for  the  national  supremacy.  The  tribute  to  our 
noble  women  for  their  angel  ministry  to  the  suffer 
ing  soldiers  surpasses  in  its  way,  as  do  the  subjects 
of  it,  whatever  has  gone  before." 

The  correspondent  of  the  Boston  Daily  Adver 
tiser,  probably  Hon.  Charles  Hale,  who  was  present 
at  the  consecration  services  as  one  of  the  commis 
sioners  appointed  by  Governor  Andrew  to  repre 
sent  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  in  a 
communication  to  that  paper  giving  an  account 
of  the  proceedings,  said :  "  Mr.  Lincoln's  dedicatory 
remarks  created  a  most  favorable  impression. 
They  were  delivered  in  a  clear,  full  voice  and 
seemed  to  be  emphatically  the  right  words  in  the 
right  place."  l 

The  Massachusetts  Commissioners,  in  their  re 
port  of  the  proceedings  made  to  Governor  Andrew, 
said  that  Mr.  Lincoln's  address  "  made  a  profound 
impression."2 

The  members  of  the  joint  special  committee  of 
the  City  of  Boston,  having  in  charge  the  burial  of 
the  Massachusetts  dead  at  Gettysburg,  attended 
the  consecration  services,  and  in  their  report  they 
said:  "Perhaps  nothing  in  the  whole  proceedings 
made  so  deep  an  impression  on  the  vast  assem- 

»  Boston  Daily  Advertiser,  Nov.  23,  1863. 
2  Senate  Document,  No.  i,  1864. 


President  Lincoln's  Address       125 

blage,  or  has  conveyed  to  the  country  in  so  concise 
a  form  the  lesson  of  the  hour,  as  the  remarks  of  the 
President.  Their  simplicity  and  force  make  them 
worthy  of  a  prominence  among  the  utterances  from 
high  places." * 

These  statements,  recorded  at  the  time  by  per 
sons  present  at  the  consecration  services,  would 
seem  to  indicate  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had  reason 
to  be  satisfied  with  the  impression  made  by  his 
address. 

»  Report  of  the  Joint  Special  Committee,  Boston,  1863. 


CHAPTER  VI 

PRESIDENT  LINCOLN'S  REVISION  OF  HIS  ADDRESS 

A  FEW  days  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  return  to  Wash 
ington,  he  received  from  Mr.  Wills  a  note 
saying :  "On  behalf  of  the  States  interested  in  the 
National  Cemetery  here,  I  request  of  you  the  origi 
nal  manuscript  of  the  dedicatory  remarks  delivered 
by  you  here  last  Thursday.  We  desire  them  to  be 
placed  with  the  correspondence  and  other  papers 
connected  with  the  project." 

To  comply  with  this  request,  says  Mr.  Nicolay,1 
the  President  turned  to  his  original  manuscript, 
and  comparing  it  with  the  press  reports,  he  dis 
covered  variations  that  rendered  the  first  incom 
plete  and  the  others  imperfect.  "  By  his  direction, 
therefore,  his  secretaries  made  copies  of  the  Asso 
ciated  Press  report  as  it  was  printed  in  several 
prominent  newspapers.  Comparing  these  with 
his  original  draft,  and  with  his  own  fresh  recollec 
tion  of  the  form  in  which  he  delivered  it,  he  made 
a  new  autograph  copy — a  careful  and  deliberate 

1  Century  Magazine,  vol.  xxv.,  pp.  604,  605. 
126 


Lincoln's  Revision  of  his  Address  127 

revision — which  has  become  the  standard   and 
authentic  text."  l 

This  revision  of  the  Gettysburg  address,  however, 
did  not  appear  in  the  published  proceedings  at  the 
consecration  services.  A  volume  published  eaijly 
in  1864  by  Little,  Brown  &  Company,  Boston, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  cemetery  monument  fund, 
and  containing  "an  account  of  the  origin  of  the 
undertaking  and  of  the  arrangement  of  the  ceme 
tery  grounds, "  as  well  as  the  oration  by  Mr.  Ever 
ett,  the  address  by  the  President,  etc.,  included 
materials  evidently  furnished  by  Mr.  Wills,  such 
as  the  original  design  for  a  cemetery  and  his  cor 
respondence  with  reference  to  the  establishment 
of  the  cemetery  and  its  consecration.  In  this  vol 
ume  the  President's  address  is  in  the  form  in  which 
it  was  sent  out  by  the  Associated  Press,  and  not 
in  that  of  the  revision,  as  Mr.  Nicolay  seems  to 
have  supposed.2 

Concerning  this  volume,  Mr.  Everett  wrote  to 
President  Lincoln  January  30,  1864:  "I  shall  have 
the  honor  of  forwarding  to  you  by  express,  to-day 
or  on  Monday  next,  a  copy  of  the  authorized  edi 
tion  of  my  Gettysburg  address  and  of  the  remarks 
made  by  yourself,  and  the  other  matters  connected 
with  the  ceremonial  of  the  dedication  of  the 

1  For  this  revised  version  of  the  address,  see  p.  131. 

2  Century  Magazine,  vol.  xxv.,  p.  604. 


128  The  Cemetery 

cemetery.  It  appeared,  owing  to  unavoidable  de 
lays,  only  yesterday.  I  have  promised  to  give  the 
manuscript  of  my  address  to  Mrs.  Governor  Fish 
of  New  York,  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  Ladies 
Committee  of  the  Metropolitan  Fair.  It  would  add 
very  greatly  to  its  value  if  I  could  bind  up  with  it 
the  manuscript  of  your  dedicatory  remarks,  if  you 
happen  to  have  preserved  it.  I  would  further  ven 
ture  to  request,  that  you  would  allow  me  also  to 
bind  up  in  the  volume  the  very  obliging  letter  of  the 
soth  of  November,  1863,  which  you  did  me  the 
favor  to  write  to  me.  I  shall  part  with  it  with 
much  reluctance,  and  I  shrink  a  little  from  the  ap 
parent  indelicacy  of  giving  some  publicity  to  a 
letter  highly  complimentary  to  myself.  But  as 
its  insertion  would  greatly  enhance  the  value 
of  the  volume  when  sold  at  the  fair,  I  shall,  if  I 
have  your  kind  permission,  waive  all  other  con 
siderations." 

To  this  request  Mr.  Lincoln,  under  date  of  Feb 
ruary  4,  1864,  replied  as  follows:  "Yours  of  Janu 
ary  30,  was  received  four  days  ago ;  and  since  then 
the  address  mentioned  has  arrived.  Thank  you 
for  it.  I  send  herewith  the  manuscript  of  my 
remarks  at  Gettysburg,  which,  with  my  note  to  you 
of  November  20,  you  are  at  liberty  to  use  for  the 
benefit  of  our  soldiers,  as  you  have  requested. " 

Other  requests  came  to  Mr.  Lincoln  for  manu- 


Lincoln's  Revision  of  his  Address   129 

script  copies  of  his  Gettysburg  address.  These, 
says  Mr.  Nicolay,  were  made  with  painstaking  care 
and  corresponded  with  the  revision  of  the  address 
mentioned  above.  Such  a  copy  was  made  by  Mr. 
Lincoln  for  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Fair  in  Balti 
more,  which  was  opened  April  18,  1864.  Mr.  Nic 
olay  tells  the  story  in  these  words : 

"  On  the  5th  of  February  a  committee  consisting 
of  the  Hon.  John  P.  Kennedy,  author  of  Swallow 
Barn  and  other  novels,  and  Col.  Alexander  Bliss, 
then  serving  on  the  military  staff  of  General 
Schenck,  commanding  at  Baltimore,  sent  a 
circular  to  prominent  American  authors,  soliciting 
from  each  a  page  or  two  of  autograph  manuscript 
to  be  published  in  facsimile  in  a  small  quarto 
volume  and  to  be  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  fair. 
Some  time  in  the  month  of  February  George 
Bancroft,  the  historian,  who  was  in  Washington, 
made  verbal  application  to  the  President  on 
their  behalf  for  an  autograph  copy  of  his  Get 
tysburg  address,  to  be  included  in  the  volume. 
Mr.  Lincoln  wrote  and  sent  them  a  copy ;  and  when 
it  was  discovered  that  it  was  written  on  both  sides 
of  a  letter  sheet,  and  on  that  account  was  not  avail 
able  to  be  used  in  the  process  of  lithographing,  he 
made  them  a  second  copy,  written  only  on  one  side, 
of  the  letter  pages.  This  was  sent  to  the  commit 
tee  on  March  n,  1864,  and  Mr.  Bancroft  was  per- 

9 


130  The  Cemetery 

mitted  to  keep  the  first;  which  appears  recently 
[1894]  to  have  passed,  with  other  papers  of  the 
great  historian,  into  the  possession  of  the  Lenox 
Library.  The  Baltimore  Committee  had  the  other 
duly  lithographed  and  printed  in  their  volume,1 
and  it  was  sold  at  the  fair. .  The  first  facsimile  in 
the  book  of  two  hundred  pages  is  that  of  the  Star- 
Spangled  Banner,  the  second  Abraham  Lincoln's 
Gettysburg  address,  and  the  last  Home,  Sweet 
Home;  while  between  them  are  autograph  specimen 
pages  from  the  writings  of  nearly  a  hundred  Amer 
ican  authors.  It  is  this  Baltimore  facsimile  which 
by  frequent  photographs,  and  therefore  exact  re 
production,  has  properly  become  the  standard  text. 
It  is  this  Baltimore  facsimile  which  Nicolay  and 
Hay  inserted  in  their  life  of  Lincoln  in  the  chapter 
on  the  Gettysburg  Address.2 

A  comparison  of  this  revised  autographic  copy 
with  the  Associated  Press  report  shows  that  Mr. 
Lincoln  in  the  revision  made  thirteen  changes  in 
all.  Seven  of  these  were  merely  a  return  to  the 
words  used  in  the  first  draft  of  the  address.  "  Are 
met"  was  changed  back  to  "have  come";  "the" 
to  "  a";  "of  "to  "for";  "power  "to  "poor  power"; 
"the"  to  "these";  governments"  to  "govern- 

1  Autograph  Leaves  of  our  Country's  Authors.     Baltimore: 
Cushing  and  Bailey,  1864. 
a  Vol.  viii.,  pp.  200,  201. 


Lincoln's  Revision  of  his  Address   131 

ment";  and  "and"  was  omitted  in  the  last  sen 
tence  as  in  the  original  draft.  The  remaining  six 
changes  were  rhetorical  emendations.  "Upon" 
was  changed  to  "on";  "it"  to  "that  field";  "they 
have"  to  "they  who  fought  here  have  " ;  "  carried 
on"  to  "advanced";  "they  here  gave"  to  "they 
gave";  and  "shall  under  God"  was  made  to  read 
"under  God  shall." 

The  original  manuscript  of  this  final  revision  of 
President  Lincoln's  Gettysburg  Address  is  in  the 
possession  of  the  family  of  the  late  Hon.  John  Hay. 
Near  the  close  of  1904,  and  not  long  before  Secre 
tary  Hay  sailed  for  Europe  in  search  of  health,  the 
writer  of  these  lines  received  from  him  an  answer 
to  an  inquiry  giving  some  of  the  facts  embodied  in 
these  pages.  About  that  time,  as  a  preface  to  the 
revised  edition  of  Pennsylvania  at  Gettysburg,  Col 
onel  John  P.  Nicholson,  chairman  of  the  Gettys 
burg  Battle-field  Commission,  had  printed  Mr. 
Lincoln's  address  from  Col.  Hay's  copy,  word  for 
word,  line  for  line,  and  paragraph  for  paragraph. 
The  punctuation  also  was  accurately  copied.  As 
printed  by  Colonel  Nicholson,  the  address  is  as 
follows : 

"Four  score  and  seven  years  ago  our  fathers 
brought  forth  on  this  continent,  a  new  nation,  con 
ceived  in  Liberty,  and  dedicated  to  the  proposition 
that  all  men  are  created  equal. 


132  The  Cemetery 

"Now  we  are  engaged  in  a  great  civil  war,  testing 
whether  that  nation,  or  any  nation  so  conceived 
and  so  dedicated,  can  long  endure.  We  are  met  on 
a  great  battle-field  of  that  war.  We  have  come  to 
dedicate  a  portion  of  that  field,  as  a  final  resting 
place  for  those  who  here  gave  their  lives  that  that 
nation  might  live.  It  is  altogether  fitting  and 
proper  that  we  should  do  this. 

"But,  in  a  larger  sense,  we  cannot  dedicate — we 
cannot  consecrate— we  cannot  hallow— this  ground. 
The  brave  men,  living  and  dead,  who  struggled 
here,  have  consecrated  it,  far  above  our  poor  power 
to  add  or  detract.  The  world  will  little  note,  nor 
long  remember  what  we  say  here,  but  it  can  never 
forget  what  they  did  here.  It  is  for  us,  the  living, 
rather,  to  be  dedicated  here  to  the  unfinished  work 
which  they  who  fought  here  have  thus  far  so  nobly 
advanced.  It  is  rather  for  us  to  be  here  dedicated 
to  the  great  task  remaining  before  us — that  from 
these  honored  dead  we  take  increased  devotion  to 
that  cause  for  which  they  gave  the  last  full  measure 
of  devotion — that  we  here  highly  resolve  that  these 
dead  shall  not  have  died  in  vain — that  this  nation, 
under  God,  shall  have  a  new  birth  of  freedom — and 
that  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people, 
for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth." 

It  is  in  this  authoritatively  attested  revised  form, 
therefore,  that  the  Gettysburg  address  should  be 


Lincoln's  Revision  of  his  Address   133 

handed  down  to  future  generations.  The  address 
has  already  long  been  recognized  as  one  of  the 
world's  masterpieces  in  oratory.  The  sublimity 
of  its  thought  is  equalled  only  by  the  simplicity  of 
the  language  which  Mr.  Lincoln  employed  to  give 
that  thought  adequate  expression.  Undoubtedly, 
after  receiving  Mr.  Wills 's  invitation,  the  Presi 
dent^  he  found  opportunity,  revolved  in  his  mind 
the  ideas  embodied  in  the  address.  Even  the  first 
draft  of  the  address  was  a  noble  expression  of  these 
ideas.  Only  a  few  touches  here  and  there  were  re 
quired  in  order  to  give  to  Mr.  Lincoln's  words  their 
proper  rhetorical  form,  so  completely  had  the 
thoughts  of  the  address  been  moulded  in  the 
author's  mind  in  his  meditation  upon  them. 

It  is  true,  as  Mr. Lincoln  said,  that  what  the  brave 
soldiers  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  did  at  Gettys 
burg  will  never  be  forgotten.  From  no  other  lips 
than  those  of  one  so  providentially  raised  up  to 
direct  the  affairs  of  the  nation  in  a  great  crisis  of 
its  history  could  these  words  so  fittingly  have  come. 
No  one  knew  better  than  Mr.  Lincoln  what  the  war 
meant  to  the  people  of  the  United  States.  The 
issues  that  were  fought  out  in  the  Civil  War  could 
not  be  avoided.  The  pain  and  suffering  begotten 
in  such  a  conflict  Mr.  Lincoln  felt.  The  consecra 
tion  services  at  Gettysburg  only  made  more  real  to 
him  the  fearful  cost  of  the  war.  But  he  saw,  and 


134  The  Cemetery 

he  saw  clearly,  that  only  through  conflict,  and  the 
pain  and  suffering  such  conflict  always  entails, 
could  "a  new  birth  of  freedom"  for  the  nation  be 
secured.  Much  as  he  deprecated  war,  he  could 
not  but  look  upon  it  as 

"  God's  most  dreaded  instrument 
In  working  out  a  pure  intent. " 

And  so,  as  he  spoke,  his  face  was  toward  the  future, 
and  he  would  anew  dedicate  himself — he  would 
have  his  countrymen  anew  dedicate  themselves 
— "to  the  unfinished  work"  "thus  far  so  nobly 
advanced" — a  work  which  happily  he  lived  to  see 
accomplished  in  the  surrender  of  Lee's  army  at 
Appomattox.  The  dead  at  Gettysburg,  and  on 
many  another  battle-field  of  the  Rebellion,  had 
not  "died  in  vain." 

It  has  been  said  that  the  closing  words  of  the 
Gettysburg  address  1  were  borrowed  from  a  speech 
made  by  Theodore  Parker  at  the  New  England 
Anti-Slavery  Convention  in  Boston,  May  29,  1850, 
in  which  Mr.  Parker  used  these  words :  "  A  democ 
racy — that  is,  a  government  of  all  the  people,  by  all 
the  people,  for  all  the  people. "  But  others  had 
used  like  words  before.  In  The  Advancement  of  So 
ciety  in  Knowledge  and  Religion,  by  James  Douglas, 

i  "The  last  phrase  is  one  that  the  world  had  been  working 
at,  and  Lincoln  had  marked  something  very  much  like  it  in 
one  of  Theodore  Parker's  lectures;  but  it  was  chosen  for  this 
final  place  with  literary  skill." — Norman  Hapgood  in  Abra 
ham  Lincoln,  the  Man  and  the  People,  pp.  338,  339. 


Lincoln's  Revision  of  his  Address    135 

Edinburgh,  1830,  3d  edition  (ist  edition  in  1825) 
occur  these  words  (p.  70) :  "The  depressed  vassal 
of  the  old  Continent  becomes  co-legislator,  and 
co-ruler,  in  a  government  where  all  power  is 
from  the  people,  and  in  the  people,  and  for  the 
people."  Webster  also,  in  his  reply  to  Hayne  in 
the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  January  26,  1830, 
used  these  words :  "  The  people's  government,  made 
for  the  people,  made  by  the  people,  and  answer 
able  to  the  people. "  Likewise  Lieutenant  M.  F. 
Maury,  in  a  report  on  the  subject  of  Fortifications, 
made  in  August,  185 1 — in  a  little  more  than  a  year 
after  Theodore  Parker  delivered  the  speech  to 
which  reference  in  made  above — used  similar  lan 
guage:  "Unlike  Europe,  there  are  no  disaffected 
people  in  this  country  for  a  foe  to  tamper  with.  The 
government  is  by  the  people,  for  the  people,  and 
with  the  people."  As  Mr.  Nicolay  says:1  "The 
mere  arrangement  of  these  quotations  in  their 
chronological  order  shows  how  unjust  is  any  infer 
ence  that  Mr.  Lincoln  took  his  sentence  at  second 
hand.  There  is  no  more  reason  to  suppose  that 
he  copied  his  phrase  from  Theodore  Parker,  than 
there  is  that  Parker  copied  his  from  Daniel  Web 
ster,  or  Webster  his  from  James  Douglas.  All 
these  are  plainly  coincidences,  growing  out  of  the 
very  nature  of  the  topic." 

1  Century  Magazine,  vol.  xxv.,  p.  608. 


CHAPTER  VII 

PROVISION  FOR  THE  COMPLETION  AND  MAIN 
TENANCE  OF  THE   CEMETERY 

TT  still  remained  for  those  interested  in  the  Na- 
*  tional  Cemetery  at  Gettysburg  to  provide  for 
the  expenses  already  incurred,  also  to  complete 
the  work  so  well  begun,  and  to  make  provision  for 
the  proper  adornment  and  care  of  the  grounds. 
Governor  Curtin,  accordingly,  requested  the  gov 
ernors  of  the  several  States  having  soldiers  buried 
in  the  cemetery  to  appoint  commissioners  to  meet 
in  Harrisburg,  December  17,  1863.  In  response 
to  this  invitation,  the  following  commissioners 
appeared:  Hon.  B.  W.  Norris,  Maine;  Hon.  L.  B. 
Mason,  New  Hampshire;  Mr.  Henry  Edwards, 
Massachusetts;  Mr.  Alfred  Coit,  Connecticut;  Hon. 
Levi  Scobey,  New  Jersey;  Mr.  David  Wills,  Col. 
James  Worral,  Pennsylvania;  Col.  John  S.  Berry, 
Maryland ;  Mr.  L.  W.  Brown,  Col.  Gordon  Lofland, 
Ohio;  Col.  John  G.  Stephenson,  Indiana;  and  Mr. 
W.  G.  Selleck,  Wisconsin.  Mr.  Wills  was  made 
chairman  of  the  meeting  and  Mr.  Selleck,  secretary. 
At  this  meeting  certain  suggestions  were  sub 
mitted  to  the  commissioners.  One  of  these  was 

136 


Provision  for  Maintenance        137 

that  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  for  the 
States  having  soldiers  buried  in  the  National  Cem 
etery,  should  hold  in  trust  the  title  to  the  land 
which  had  been  purchased  and  consecrated  as  the 
burial-place  of  the  Union  dead  at  Gettysburg.  It 
was  also  suggested  that  the  Legislature  of  Pennsyl 
vania  should  be  requested  to  create  a  corporation 
to  be  managed  by  trustees,  one  to  be  appointed 
by  each  of  the  governors  of  the  following  States : 
Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  Massachusetts, 
Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Delaware, 
West  Virginia,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michi 
gan,  Wisconsin,  and  Minnesota;  also  of  such 
other  States  as  might  afterward  desire  to  be 
represented  in  this  corporation,  said  corpora 
tion  to  have  exclusive  control  of  the  National 
Cemetery. 

The  estimated  expenses  for  the  completion  of 
the  cemetery  were  as  follows : 

Enclosing  grounds           .          .          .  $15,000 

Burial  expenses  and  superintending         .  6,000 

Headstones  ......  10,000 

Laying  out  grounds  and  planting  trees     .  5,ooo 

Lodge            ......  2,500 

Monument    ......  25,000 

Total  $63,500 


\ 


138  The  Cemetery 

The  several  States  were  asked  to  appropriate  a  sum 
of  money,  to  be  determined  by  a  division  of  the 
estimated  expenses  according  to  representation  in 
Congress,  to  be  expended  in  defraying  the  cost  of 
removing  and  re-interring  the  dead,  and  of  com 
pleting  the  work  connected  with  the  cemetery  un 
der  the  direction  of  the  cemetery  corporation.  It 
was  also  suggested  that,  when  this  work  was  com 
pleted,  the  grounds  should  be  kept  in  order  from  a 
fund  created  by  annual  appropriations  made  by 
the  States,  and  represented  in  the  cemetery  cor 
poration  in  proportion  to  their  representation  in 
Congress. 

The  national  monument  was  to  be  a  con 
spicuous  feature  of  the  cemetery,  and  a 
committe  was  now  appointed  to  procure  de 
signs  for  a  monument  worthy  of  the  heroic 
dead. 

The  work  of  exhuming  and  bringing  together  in 
the  cemetery  the  bodies  of  the  Union  soldiers,  com 
menced  on  October  27,  1863,  was  not  completed 
until  March  18,  1864.  The  total  number  of  remov 
als  at  that  time  was  3512;  of  these,  979  were 
"  unknown. "  Other  bodies  were  subsequently 
found,  and  in  1865  the  State  of  Pennsylvania 
published  a  list,  by  States,  of  all  the  burials 
up  to  that  time.  The  summary  was  as  fol 
lows: 


Monument  in  National  Cemeterv. 


Provision  for  Maintenance        139 


Maine     . 
New  Hampshire 
Vermont 
Massachusetts  . 
Rhode  Island    . 
Connecticut 
New  York   . 
New  Jersey 

Pennsylvania    . 

Delaware     . 
Maryland     . 

West  Virginia  . 


104  Ohio 

49  Indiana 

6 1  Illinois   . 

159  Michigan 

12  Wisconsin    . 

22  Minnesota   . 

866  U.  S.  Regulars 

78  Unknown — Lot 

North       .      . 

526  Unknown — Lot 

South     .      .      . 

15  Unknown — Lot 

22  Inner  Circle  . 

ii  Total 


80 
6 

171 
73 

52 
138 

411 

425 

143 

3555 


The  design  for  a  national  monument  in  the  cem 
etery,  to  be  executed  by  Mr.  J.  G.  Batterson,  of 
Hartford,  Conn.,  was  accepted,  and  the  corner 
stone  was  laid  July  4,  1865,  with  an  oration  by 
Maj . -Gen .  O .  O .  Howard .  At  the  d ed  ication  of  the 
monument,  July  i,  1869,  the  prayer  was  by  Henry 
Ward  Beecher.  Hon. Oliver  P.  Morton  d elivered  the 
oration.  There  was  also  an  address  by  Maj. -Gen. 
George  G.  Meade,  and  an  ode  by  Bayard  Taylor. 
The  monument  is  sixty  feet  high,  and  is  crowned 
with  a  colossal  statue  of  Liberty,  standing  on  a 
three-quarters  globe.  In  her  right  hand  the  goddess 
holds  the  victor's  laurel  wreath,  while  with  her  left 


140  The  Cemetery 

hand  she  gathers  up  the  folds  of  the  national  flag 
under  which  the  victory  at  Gettysburg  was  won.  At 
the  four  angles  of  the  massive  pedestal,  twenty -five 
feet  square  at  the  base,  are  four  buttresses  upon 
which  rest  allegorical  figures  representing  War, 
History,  Peace,  and  Plenty.  On  a  bronze  tablet, 
on  the  side  of  the  monument  facing  the  town 
cemetery,  President  Lincoln's  Gettysburg  address 
is  recorded  in  full. 


PART    III 

THE  NATIONAL  PARK 


THE   NATIONAL   PARK 


CHAPTER  I 

WORK  OF  THE  GETTYSBURG  BATTLE-FIELD 
MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION 

PUBLIC  interest  in  Gettysburg  was  not  con 
fined  to  the  cemetery,  to  which  the  dead  of  the 
battle  were  brought  and  tenderly,  lovingly,  laid  to 
rest.  Very  early,  even  before  the  Civil  War  closed, 
steps  were  taken  for  the  preservation  of  the  then 
existing  memorials  of  the  great  conflict  of  July  1,2, 
and  3,  1863,  and  for  the  erection  of  such  added 
memorials  as  might  afterward  be  reared  in  patri 
otic  remembrance  of  the  victory  there  won. 

The  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  by  an  act  ap 
proved  April  30,  1864,  incorporated  the  Gettysburg 
Battle-field  Memorial  Association.  The  object  of 
the  Association,  as  set  forth  in  the  act  of  incorpora 
tion,  was  "to  hold  and  preserve  the  battle-grounds 
of  Gettysburg,  on  which  were  fought  the  actions  of 
the  first,  second,  and  third  days  of  July,  Anno 
Domini  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty- 
three,  with  the  natural  and  artificial  defences,  as 
they  were  at  the  time  of  said  battle,  and  by  such 

143 


H4  The  National  Park 

perpetuation,  and  such  memorial  structures  as  a 
generous  and  patriotic  people  may  aid  to  erect,  to 
commemorate  the  heroic  deeds,  the  struggles 
and  the  triumphs  of  their  brave  defenders. " 

For  the  accomplishment  of  this  object,  the  Asso 
ciation  was  given  power  "  to  take,  and  to  hold,  by 
gift,  grant,  devise,  purchase,  or  lease,  such  personal 
property  and  effects  and  all  such  portions  of  said 
battle-grounds  as  may  be  necessary,  or  convenient, 
to  promote  and  accomplish  the  object  of  its  incor 
poration  ;  to  enclose,  and  perpetuate,  said  grounds 
and  defences ;  to  keep  them  in  repair  and  a  state  of 
preservation;  to  construct  and  maintain  ways 
and  roads ;  to  improve  and  ornament  the  grounds ; 
and  to  erect  and  promote  the  erection,  by  voluntary 
contributions,  of  structures  and  works  of  art  and 
taste  thereon,  adapted  to  designate  the  spots  of 
special  interest ;  to  commemorate  the  great  deeds 
of  valor,  endurance,  and  noble  self-sacrifice;  and 
to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  heroes,  and  the 
signal  events,  which  render  these  battle-grounds 
illustrious. " 

A  supplemental  act,  approved  April  24,  1866, 
authorized  the  president  and  directors  of  the  Asso 
ciation,  "by  themselves,  committees,  engineer, 
surveyor,  superintendent,  or  agents  by  them  ap 
pointed,  to  survey,  locate,  and  lay  out  roads  and 
avenues  from  any  public  road  or  roads  in  the  vicin- 


* 


Work  of  the  Memorial  Association  145 

ity  of  Gettysburg,  or  of  said  battle-grounds,  to 
and  upon,  and  also  in  and  through,  any  portion  or 
portions  of  said  battle-grounds,  not,  however,  pass 
ing  through  any  dwelling-house,  or  any  burying- 
ground,  or  any  place  of  public  worship,  and  to  open 
and  fence,  or  otherwise  enclose,  such  roads  and 
avenues,  the  latter  of  a  width  not  exceeding  three 
hundred  feet ;  and  the  same  may  be  laid  out  so  as 
to  embrace  any  breast- works,  or  lines  of  defences, 
or  positions  of  the  forces  engaged  in  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg,  and  with  power  to  plant  rows  or 
colonnades  of  trees  upon  said  roads  and  avenues. " 
Before  entering  upon  and  taking  possession  of  land 
for  these  roads  or  avenues,  however,  the  Asso 
ciation  was  to  make  ample  compensation  to  the 
owner  or  owners ;  and  in  case  the  Association  could 
not  agree  with  the  owner  or  owners,  like  proceed 
ings  for  ascertaining  and  recovering  damages  on 
account  of  taking  and  appropriating  such  lands 
should  be  had  as  are  provided  for  land-owners 
in  ascertaining  and  recovering  damages  from  rail 
road  companies. 

In  1867  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  appropriated 
three  hundred  dollars  "  to  be  applied  to  the  purchase 
of  portions  of  the  battle-grounds,  and  the  general 
purposes  "  for  which  the  Memorial  Association  was 
incorporated.  It  is  thought  that  this  money  was 
expended  in  the  purchase  of  that  portion  of  Gulp's 

10 


146  The  National  Park 

Hill  upon  which  the  breastworks  were  still  stand 
ing;  also  for  the  purchase  of  East  Cemetery  Hill, 
where  Stewart's,  Reynolds',  Ricketts',  and  Wied- 
rich's  batteries  were  placed  at  the  time  of  the  bat 
tle  ;  and  also  for  the  purchase  of  a  piece  of  Little 
Round  Top. 

Unfortunately  there  are  no  records  of  the  earlier 
meetings  of  the  Association.  Such  records  with 
reference  to  the  little  that  was  done  by  the  Associa 
tion,  in  the  beginning  of  its  invaluable  work,  would 
now  have  very  great  interest.  The  first  meeting  of 
the  Association  of  which  any  record  remains  was 
held  June  10,  1872.  Governor  John  W.  Geary 
was  elected  president,  David  McConaughy  vice- 
president,  John  M.  Krauth  secretary,  and  George 
Arnold  treasurer.  The  fact  that  at  this  meeting 
Mr.  Arnold  submitted  a  report  is  an  indication  that 
he  had  served  the  Association  as  treasurer  before 
his  election  in  1872. 

Mr.  McConaughy,  who  was  appointed  counsel  and 
actuary,  was  requested  to  secure  from  the  States 
interested  in  the  work  of  the  Association  appro 
priations  to  defray  the  expenses  of  carrying  out  the 
plans  and  purposes  thus  far  formed.  The  officers 
of  the  Association,  also,  were  instructed  to  make 
application  to  the  proper  authorities  in  Washing 
ton  for  condemned  ordnance  to  mark  the  position 
of  the  Union  artillery  during  the  battle.  In  1873 


Work  of  the  Memorial  Association  H7 

Congress  responded  to  this  request  by  donating  to 
the  Association  a  number  of  cannon  and  cannon 
balls  for  the  purpose  made  known  in  the  request. 

But  the  activity  of  the  Association  thus  in 
dicated  seems  not  to  have  been  permanent.  Meas 
ures  taken  for  the  purpose  of  awakening  in  some 
of  the  States  a  deeper  interest  in  the  work  of  the 
Association  failed  to  secure  needed  assistance  in 
carrying  forward  the  work  already  outlined.  There 
was  an  election  of  officers  each  year,  but 
between  August  26,  1874,  and  July  7,  1879,  no 
meetings  of  the  board  were  held.  As  far  as  was 
possible,  however,  the  work  of  the  Association  was 
cared  for  meanwhile  by  Mr.  David  McConaughy. 

When  the  Board  met  in  the  summer  of  1879, 
there  was  evidence  of  a  revival  of  interest  in  the 
work  of  the  Association.  In  the  previous  summer 
the  Pennsylvania  Department  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  encamped  on  East  Cemetery  Hill. 
During  the  encampment  old  memories  were  awak 
ened,  and  what  had  already  been  done  in  purchas 
ing  land  at  important  points  on  the  battle-field, 
and  in  preserving  the  lines  of  works  used  at  the 
time  of  the  battle,  kindled  in  many  minds  a  desire 
to  continue  the  work  so  well  begun,  and  to  carry 
out  more  fully  the  objects  of  the  Association  as  in 
dicated  in  the  act  of  incorporation.  Especially 
strong  was  the  impression  made  during  the  encamp- 


148  The  National  Park 

ment  upon  the  Assistant  Adjutant  General  of  the 
Department,  Mr.  J.  M.  Vanderslice  of  Philadelphia. 
In  the  Battle-field  Memorial  Association  he  found 
at  hand  an  instrument  for  the  accomplishment  of 
a  great  and  important  undertaking.  An  examina 
tion  of  the  act  of  incorporation  disclosed  the  fact 
that  the  objects  of  such  an  Association  had  been 
rightly  conceived.  All  that  was  necessary  in  order 
to  make  the  Association  successful  in  the  task  thus 
indicated  was  ample  financial  support ;  and  in  the 
belief  that  the  Department  could  easily  furnish 
such  support,  he  sought  to  enlist  the  interest  of  his 
comrades  in  all  parts  of  the  State.  Circulars  were 
prepared,  and  these  were  forwarded  to  the  various 
posts  connected  with  the  Department.  It  was 
at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Vanderslice  also  that 
General  Strong  Vincent  Post,  No.  67,  of  Erie,  Pa., 
erected  during  the  encampment  a  tablet  on  Little 
Round  Top  to  mark  the  spot  where  General 
Vincent  was  killed.  This  is  said  to  have  been  the 
first  memorial  of  any  kind  erected  on  the  Gettys 
burg  battle-field  outside  of  the  cemetery.  Colonel 
Fred  Taylor  Post,  No.  19,  of  Philadelphia,  at  the 
same  time  placed  in  front  of  Round  Top  a  small 
tablet  to  indicate  the  spot  where  Colonel  Taylor 
fell  at  the  head  of  the  Bucktail  Rifle  Regiment. 

As  yet  no  regiment  had  erected  on  the  battle 
field  any  memorial  of  its  service  on  those  never-to- 


VH  O 

Oj  O 

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H    ^§ 
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Work  of  the  Memorial  Association  149 

be-forgotten  days,  July  1-3,  1863.  But  in  the 
following  year,  1879,  the  Second  Massachusetts  In 
fantry  affixed  to  a  large  boulder,  across  the  swale 
known  as  Spangler's  meadow,  a  bronze  tablet  re 
citing  in  outline  the  facts  connected  with  the 
gallant  charge  made  by  the  regiment,  July  3d, 
on  the  enemy's  line  at  the  base  of  Gulp's  Hill 
opposite,  in  which  the  regiment  lost  four  officers 
and  forty-one  enlisted  men  killed  or  mortally 
wounded,  and  six  officers  and  eighty-four  en 
listed  men  wounded.  The  erection  of  this  mon 
ument,  with  its  simple  but  thrilling  story,  was  a 
suggestion  that  did  not  fail  at  once  to  make 
an  impression  upon  the  survivors  of  other  regi 
ments  that  had  a  part  in  the  victory  won  at 
Gettysburg.  The  attempt  to  enlist  the  support 
of  the  Grand  Army  in  the  work  of  the  Memorial 
Association  was  successful.  Shares  of  the  stock 
of  the  Association  were  purchased  by  Grand  Army 
posts  and  by  individuals  connected  with  the  organ 
ization;  and  at  a  meeting  of  the  stockholders  held 
in  Gettysburg,  June  21,  1880,  the  officers  chosen 
largely  represented  the  Department  of  Pennsyl 
vania.  With  the  money  received  from  the  sale 
of  stock,  the  debts  of  the  Association  were  paid, 
and  there  remained  in  the  treasury  a  balance  of 


The  Association  now  entered  upon  a  new  and 


150  The  National  Park 

more  active  period  of  service  in  carrying  out  the 
objects  for  which  it  was  organized.  Sergeant  N.  G. 
Wilson,  Superintendent  of  the  National  Cemetery, 
was  made  General  Superintendent  of  the  grounds 
of  the  Association,  embracing  pieces  of  land  upon 
Gulp's  Hill,  East  Cemetery  Hill,  and  Little  Round 
Top.  In  1880  the  Association  appointed  a  com 
mittee  to  secure  appropriations  from  the  States 
having  troops  in  the  battle,  in  order  to  make  addi 
tional  purchases  of  land  for  the  purpose  of  laying 
out  avenues,  and  so  making  more  accessible  to 
visitors  the  various  parts  of  the  battle-field.  This 
effort  was  so  successful  that  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Association  in  1 88 1  it  was  voted  to  open  an  ave 
nue  sixty  feet  wide  (except  where  the  width  was 
increased  to  embrace  important  points)  from  the 
Taneytown  road  to  Little  Round  Top.  It  was 
found,  however,  that  the  terms  of  some  of  the  land 
owners  were  such  as  to  be  regarded  as  exorbitant ; 
and  it  became  necessary  to  resort  to  condemna 
tion  proceedings,  in  accordance  with  an  act  of  the 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania. 

An  act  of  Congress,  approved  June  9,  1880,  made 
provision  for  a  compilation  of  all  available  data 
used  in  locating  troops  on  the  engineer's  maps  of 
the  battle;  also  for  the  preparation  of  diagrams 
showing  the  position  of  troops  during  the  battle; 
also  for  the  compensation  of  Mr.  John  B.  Bachelder 


Work  of  the  Memorial  Association  151 

for  services,  and  maps  and  the  manuscript  de 
scribing  the  same. 

Until  1882  the  interest  of  Confederate  survivors 
of  the  battle  was  confined  largely  to  the  removal 
of  their  dead  comrades  to  Virginia  and  other 
Southern  States, 

"As  if  the  quiet  bones  were  blest 
Amid  familiar  names  to  rest, 
And  in  the  places  of  their  youth. " 

At  length,  however,  a  delegation  of  Confederates 
visited  Gettysburg  for  the  purpose  of  locating  the 
position  of  certain  Confederate  commands — a  ser 
vice  in  which  they  were  followed  by  members  of 
other  Confederate  commands  in  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia. 

The  importance  of  securing  land  on  the  battle 
lines  was  kept  steadily  in  view  by  the  Association. 
In  1882  the  Wheatfield,  and  the  rest  of  Little  Round 
Top  still  in  private  hands,  were  purchased,  and  an 
avenue  was  constructed  from  East  Cemetery  Hill 
to  Gulp's  Hill,  and  the  ground  occupied  by  the 
Twelfth  Corps  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  Union 
position.  The  members  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  the  Association  at  this  time  were  mostly  Pennsyl- 
vanians.  It  was  now  thought  that  the  wider  in 
terests  of  the  Association  would  be  advanced  by 
giving  representatives  from  other  States  a  place  on 
the  Board ,  and  this  was  done.  In  1883  Mr.  John  B. 


152  The  National  Park 

Bachelder  of  Massachusetts,  who  for  a  long  time 
had  given  much  study  to  everything  connected 
with  the  battle-field,  was  elected  Superintendent 
of  Tablets  and  Legends.  It  was  at  this  time,  also, 
that  a  rule  was  adopted  requiring  that  all  inscrip 
tions  to  be  affixed  to  memorials  upon  the  battle 
field  should  first  be  submitted  to  the  directors  of 
the  Association. 

Several  regiments,  in  1881,  had  erected  monu 
ments  commemorating  their  services  at  the  time 
of  the  battle.  The  State  of  Pennsylvania  in 
the  following  year  erected  sign-boards,  indicating 
the  position  of  the  regiments  of  the  State  on  the 
Gettysburg  battle-field.  Minnesota,  also,  made  an 
appropriation  for  the  erection  of  similar  sign 
boards.  These  memorials  were  of  a  temporary 
character  only,  but  they  made  very  plain  the  use 
fulness  of  such  helps  to  visitors,  and  they  soon  led 
to  the  preparation  and  erection  of  more  enduring 
memorials.  In  this  advanced  movement  Massa 
chusetts  was  again  at  the  front,  the  Massachusetts 
regiments  being  the  first  to  receive  an  appropria 
tion  from  the  State  for  this  purpose.  This  was  in 
1883  and  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  made  it 
possible  for  the  erection  of  monuments  for  all  of 
the  regiments  at  Gettysburg  from  that  State,  each 
regiment  receiving  an  appropriation  of  five  hun 
dred  dollars. 


Work  of  the  Memorial  Association  153 

The  services  of  Gregg's  cavalry  division  in  pro 
tecting  the  Union  right  at  Gettysburg,  July  3d 
were  fittingly  recognized  in  1884,  by  the  proposal 
of  the  Third  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  to  erect  a 
monument  on  the  field  where  Stuart  was  so  gal 
lantly  and  successfully  repulsed  in  his  attempt  to 
reach  the  rear  of  the  Union  lines  during  Pickett's 
charge.  The  Memorial  Association  welcomed  the 
proposal,  and  purchased  land  on  which  to  erect 
the  monument,  together  with  the  right  of  access  to 
the  same. 

In  1884,  also,  it  was  decided  by  the  Board  to 
construct  an  avenue  from  Oak  Ridge  to  the  ex 
treme  left  of  the  advanced  position  held  by  the 
First  Corps  on  July  i,  1863,  thus  making  accessible 
the  line  occupied  by  the  Union  forces  on  that  day. 

Added  avenues  were  opened  from  time  to  time 
as  additional  land  was  secured.  As  the  number  of 
visitors  to  the  battle-field  increased,  these  im 
proved  facilities  for  reaching  all  the  more  promi 
nent  parts  of  the  lines  of  conflict  were  so  much 
appreciated  that  the  necessity  of  still  further  at 
tention  to  the  matter  was  felt  more  and  more  year 
by  year. 

With  reference  to  the  monuments,  important 
action  was  taken  by  the  Board  in  1885  when  it 
was  voted  that  regiments  erecting  such  memorials 
upon  the  battle-field  should  be  required  to  mark 


i54  The  National  Park 

the  flanks  of  their  positions  whenever  practicable ; 
also  in  the  following  year,  when  the  Secretary  of 
War  was  requested  not  to  permit  the  erection  of 
any  regimental  monument  or  memorial  in  the 
cemetery  until  the  location  and  inscription  had 
been  approved  by  the  Association. 

An  inquiry  in  1887,  as  to  the  cost  of  opening  an 
avenue  sixty  feet  wide  on  Seminary  Ridge  along 
the  Confederate  line,  led  to  important  results. 

During  this  year,  also,  the  land  and  house  where 
General  Meade  had  his  headquarters  during  the 
battle  were  purchased,  and  authority  was  given 
for  the  erection  of  a  marker  indicating  the  spot 
where,  at  the  time  of  Pickett's  charge,  the  Con 
federate  General  Armistead  fell  mortallv  wounded 
within  the  Union  lines. 

The  various  States  having  soldiers  in  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg  were  now  fully  interested  in  the 
plans  and  purposes  of  the  Association,  and  espe 
cially  in  the  work  of  worthily  commemorating  the 
services  of  their  own  organizations,  for  which, 
from  time  to  time,  generous  appropriations  were 
made  in  aid  of  the  work.  Very  naturally  the  in 
scriptions  on  some  of  the  earlier  monuments, 
especially  as  to  the  casualties  sustained  in  the 
battle,  were  not  always  found  to  be  accurate; 
and,  in  1887,  an  order  was  adopted  instructing 
the  Superintendent  of  Tablets— Mr.  Bachelder 


Work  of  the  Memorial  Association  155 

retained  this  position  until  September  16,  1887 — 
to  have  the  inscriptions  on  all  of.  the  monuments 
conform  in  the  matter  of  casualties  to  the  official 
records  of  the  battle  in  the  possession  of  the  War 
Department.  At  this  time,  also,  regiments  erect 
ing  monuments  on  the  ground  of  the  Association 
were  required  to  locate  them  in  the  position 
held  by  them  in  the  line  of  battle,  but  they  were 
not  prohibited  from  erecting  such  markers  as 
would  serve  to  indicate  secondary  or  advanced 
positions,  occupied  during  the  three  days'  fight. 
Mr.  J.  M.  Vanderslice  now  succeeded  Mr.  Bach- 
elder  as  Superintendent  of  Tablets  and  Legends. 
At  this  time  the  committee  on  the  location  of 
monuments  was  enlarged  so  as  to  consist  of  five 
members,  and  to  this  committee,  of  which  Mr* 
Vanderslice  was  made  a  member,  was  assigned  the 
duty  of  passing  judgment  upon  the  inscription  as 
well  as  the  location  of  monuments. 

Rules  regulating  the  erection  of  monuments  and 
memorials  were  adopted  by  the  Board  July  3, 
1888.  These  required  that  all  monuments  or 
memorials  hereafter  erected  must  be  of  granite  or 
of  real  bronze ;  that  on  the  front  of  each  monument 
must  be  the  number  of  the  regiment  or  battery, 
State,  brigade,  division,  and  corps,  in  letters  not 
less  than  four  inches  long,  and,  in  addition  thereto, 
the  time  the  regiment  held  the  position,  and  a 


156  The  National  Park 

brief  statement  of  any  important  movement  it 
made;  that  if  the  regiment  was  actively  engaged, 
its  effective  strength  and  casualties  must  be  given, 
which  must  agree  with  the  official  records  of  the 
War  Department ;  that  if  the  regiment  was  in  re 
serve  it  should  be  so  stated ;  that  if  the  same  posi 
tion  was  held  by  other  troops,  or  if  the  command 
occupied  more  than  one  important  position,  the 
inscription  should  explain  it;  that  all  lettering 
must  be  deeply  and  distinctly  cut ;  that  any  statue 
or  figure  of  a  soldier  must  be  so  placed  as  to  face 
the  enemy's  line;  that  the  monument  must  be  on 
the  line  of  battle  held  by  the  brigade  unless  the 
regiment  was  detached,  and,  if  possible,  the  right 
and  left  flanks  of  the  regiment  or  battery  must  be 
marked  with  stones  not  less  than  two  feet  in 
height;  that  if  the  same  line  was  held  by  other 
troops,  the  monuments  must  be  placed  in  the  order 
in  which  the  several  commands  occupied  the 
grounds,  the  first  being  on  the  first  line,  the  second 
at  least  twenty  feet  in  the  rear  of  it,  and  so  on,  the 
inscriptions  explaining  the  movements. 

Important  recommendations  and  suggestions 
were  added  to  these  rules,  and  the  whole  were 
printed  and  sent  to  all  State  commissions  ap 
pointed  with  reference  to  the  erection  of  monu 
ments  upon  the  Gettysburg  battle-field. 

Very  naturally  on  the  part  of  visitors  to  the 


Work  of  the  Memorial  Association  157 

battle-ground  interest  was  shown  not  only  in  ex 
amining  the  Union  line,  but  in  the  location  and 
movements  of  the  Confederate  troops.  In  the 
location  of  the  various  organizations  connected 
with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  therefore,  it  be 
came  evident  to  those  engaged  in  the  work  that  it 
was  also  desirable  that  the  Confederate  lines 
should  be  marked  and  made  accessible.  But  this 
required  the  aid  of  the  national  government;  and 
at  a  meeting  held  September  n,  1888,  it  was 
voted:  "That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  Association 
that  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  should 
authorize  the  purchase  of  such  land  as  may  be 
necessary  to  open  avenues  and  driveways  along 
the  whole  line  of  battle  occupied  by  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia  during  the  battle  of  Gettys 
burg,  and  that  the  positions  occupied  by  the 
several  divisions,  brigades  and  regiments  of  such 
army  should  be  marked  with  tablets." 

The  struggle  to  obtain  funds  for  the  proper  exe 
cution  of  the  plans  of  the  Association  was  such, 
it  was  not  until  1890  that  the  committee  on  the 
purchase  of  land  was  authorized  to  add  to  the 
property-holdings  of  the  Association  so  much  of 
the  Peach  Orchard  as  was  necessary  in  providing 
a  place  for  the  monuments  which  the  regiments 
that  fought  there  desired  to  erect. 

The  plan  for  the  High- Water  Mark  monument 


158  The  National  Park 

and  tablets  at  the  copse  of  trees,  toward  which 
Pickett  was  directed  to  move  in  making  his  mem 
orable  charge,  was  submitted  by  Mr.  Bachelder, 
May  10,  1891.  This  is  one  of  the  most  noteworthy 
monuments  on  the  field.  It  is  a  massive  granite 
structure  with  polished  faces,  the  whole  resting 
upon  a  broad  granite  platform,  and  sustaining  a 
large  open  volume  in  bronze  upon  whose  ample 
pages  are  recorded  the  names  of  all  the  commands 
— Union  on  one  page,  Confederate  on  the  other — 
that  had  a  part  iri  making  and  receiving  what  is 
commonly  known  as  "  Pickett 's  charge."  The 
plan  was  approved,  and  the  cost  of  the  monument 
was  defrayed  by  the  Union  States  having  soldiers 
in  the  line  on  either  side  of  the  copse  on  that 
memorable  day. 

But  the  resources  of  the  Memorial  Association 
were  not  adequate  for  meeting  the  demands  con 
stantly  made  upon  it  in  order  to  care  for  those 
parts  of  the  ground  now  in  its  possession;  and 
there  was  need  that  the  work  should  be  still  further 
extended  so  as  to  include  the  whole  battle-field. 
Accordingly,  at  the  meeting  held  May  10,  1891,  a 
committee  was  appointed  consisting  of  Generals 
Sickles,  Barnum,  and  Wagner,  Colonels  Veazey 
and  Briggs,  and  Messrs.  Bachelder  and  McPherson, 
to  devise  a  plan  for  the  future  maintenance  of  the 
Gettysburg  battle-field.  The  Memorial  Assotia- 


03 

•a 


Work  of  the  Memorial  Association  159 

tion  had  performed  a  great  work.  The  natural 
features  of  the  ground  on  which  the  battle  was 
fought  had  been  preserved.  Avenues  to  various 
parts  of  the  battle-field  had  been  opened.  The 
position  of  the  Union  troops  had  been  fixed  with 
painstaking  care,  and  monuments  had  been  lo 
cated.  But  the  work  that  remained  to  be  done, 
and  the  proper  oversight  of  the  grounds  in  pos 
session  of  the  Association,  required  an  annual 
outlay  for  which  the  limited  and  irregular  income 
of  the  Association  was  manifestly  insufficient. 

By  this  committee  the  attention  of  the  Con 
gress  of  the  United  States  was  called  to  the  work 
of  the  Gettysburg  Battle-field  Memorial  Associa 
tion,  and  the  necessity  of  government  aid  not  only 
in  completing  the  work,  but  in  meeting  the  future 
requirements  of  the  field.  There  was  a  favorable 
response  to  the  representations  of  this  committee, 
and  an  act  of  Congress,  approved  March  3,  1893^ 
was  passed  authorizing  the  appointment  by  the 
Secretary  of  War  of  a  Commission  consisting  of 
three  members  to  whom  the  work  of  preserv 
ing  the  battle-lines  at  Gettysburg  should  be 
committed. 

Meanwhile  the  Memorial  Association  continued 
its  work,  but  in  entire  harmony  with  the  work  of 
the  Commission.  At  a  meeting  of  the  executive 
committee  held  December  18,  1893,  Mr.  Bachelder 


160  The  National  Park 

was  authorized  to  receive  all  the  cannon  turned 
over  to  the  Association  by  the  Secretary  of  War 
under  the  act  of  Congress  approved  March  3,  1873, 
which  was  not  actually  in  the  possession  of  the 
Association ;  and  he  was  instructed  to  deliver  the 
same  to  the  Commission  for  the  purpose  of  mark 
ing  the  battle-field. 

The  action  of  Congress  in  providing  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  Gettysburg  battle-field  as 
developed  by  the  Memorial  Association  brought 
the  labors  of  that  organization  to  a  close,  and 
August  21,  1894,  a  committee  was  appointed  to 
consider  the  feasibility  of  transferring  to  the 
United  States  Government  the  property  belonging 
to  the  Association.  This  committee,  October  3, 
1894,  reported  in  favor  of  such  a  transfer,  and  the 
assent  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Association  was 
requested.  This  assent  was  promptly  obtained, 
and  the  Association  at  its  final  meeting,  held  May 
22,  1895,  adopted  resolutions  instructing  its  offi 
cers  to  execute,  under  the  corporate  seal  of  the 
Association,  deeds  of  conveyance  to  the  United 
States  Government  of  all  lands  owned  by  the 
Association,  and  all  rights  of  way  and  easements 
belonging  to  it.  At  the  same  time  the  Association 
requested  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  to  pass, 
and  the  Governor  of  the  State  to  approve,  an  act 
vesting  in  the  United  States  Government  joint 


Work  of  the  Memorial  Association  161 

jurisdiction  with  the  commonwealth  over  such 
lands  as  may  be  necessary  for  a  national  park  at 
Gettysburg. 

The  following  resolution  also  was  adopted: 
'Resolved,  That  the  Board  express  its  grateful 
appreciation  of  the  generous  support  accorded  the 
Association  by  the  several  States,  by  their  appro 
priations  to  it,  and  by  the  erection  of  appropriate 
monuments  to  mark  the  positions  upon  the  field 
of  their  several  organizations." 

Between  the  years  1864  and  1895,  the  Associa 
tion  had  received  the  following  sums : 
From  the  sale  of  certificates  of  stock  .  $9,875.59 
From  various  States  by  appropriation  .  96,490.00 
From  the  officers  and  men  at  Fort  Snelling  125.00 
From  the  survivors  of  Cushing's  Battery  .  25.00 
From  the  2d  Maryland  Confederate  Infantry  60.00 

Making  a  total  of  ...  $106,575.59 
All  of  this  $106,575.59  "was  expended  in  the 
purchase,  restoration,  improvement,  and  main 
tenance  of  the  grounds.  Less  than  $10,000  was 
spent  in  salaries  and  like  expenses ;  the  only  salary 
being  that  of  $1,000  per  annum  for  the  last  few 
years  to  the  superintendent,  and  the  salary  of 
$100  per  annum  to  the  secretary,  except  for  three 
years  when  he  received  $400  per  annum." 1 

i  Gettysburg:    A  History  of  the  Gettysburg  Battle-field  Me 
morial  Association,  p.  261.  By  John  M.  Vanderslice.  Published 
by  the  Memorial  Association. 
II 


1 62  The  National  Park 

The  land  transferred  by  the  Association  to  the 
United  States  Government  amounted  to  about  six 
hundred  acres,  on  which  the  Association  had  con 
structed  about  seventeen  miles  of  roads  and 
avenues.  It  had  also  supervised  the  erection  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  monuments,  the  ex 
pense  of  these  monuments  being  borne  by  the 
States  represented  in  the  battle. 

It  was  a  noble  work  that  had  been  performed, 
and  all  those  who  had  a  part  in  it  during  those 
thirty -one  years  of  its  existence  are  entitled  to 
lasting  remembrance.  1 

The  whole  amount  of  money  expended  by  the 
States  on  the  Gettysburg  battle-field,  in  connec 
tion  with  the  work  of  the  Gettysburg  Battle-field 
Memorial  Association,  was  $83 5, ,62 5. 5 5.2 

1  See  Appendix  A. 

2  See  Appendix  A, 


CHAPTER  II 

WORK   OF   THE    NATIONAL   PARK  COMMISSION 


T^HE  Gettysburg  National  Park  Commission, 
*  authorized  by  an  act  of  Congress  approved 
March  3,  1893,  was  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of 
War,  Hon.  Daniel  S.  Lamont,  May  25,  1893. 
The  appointees  were  Lieut.-Col.  John  P.  Nichol 
son,  of  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  John  B.  Bachelder,  of 
Massachusetts,  and  Brig.-Gen.  William  H.  Forney 
of  Alabama.  In  a  letter  addressed  to  Lieut.-Col. 
Nicholson,  May  29th  following,  the  Secretary  of 
War  suggested  that  the  Commission  should  estab 
lish  its  principal  office  at  Gettysburg.  "  As  to  the 
general  policy  of  the  Commission,"  wrote  the 
Secretary,  "  I  have  to  request  that  its  immediate 
work  shall  be  directed  to  the  preservation  of  the 
lines  and  evidences  of  battle,  and  that  no  plan 
shall  be  entered  upon  involving  the  outlay  of 
money  which  would  in  its  execution  exceed  the 
limit  of  the  present  appropriation.  I  believe  that 
the  practice  hitherto  pursued  by  the  Battle-field 
Memorial  Association  of  purchasing  strips  and 

small  parcels  of  land  rather  than  large  areas  should 

163 


1 64  The  National  Park 

continue    to   prevail   unless    Congress    otherwise 
directs. 

"In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  positions  of  the 
various  organizations  of  the  Union  and  Confeder 
ate  armies  have  already  been  determined  with  sub 
stantial  accuracy,  it  is  not  believed  that  many 
questions  will  arise  as  to  which  there  is  likely  to  be 
serious  difference  of  opinion.  Should  differences 
arise,  however,  in  regard  to  the  acquisition  or 
ownership  of  land,  the  position  of  troops,  or  any 
other  subject  of  importance,  it  is  my  desire  that 
they  be  so  carefully  and  exhaustively  considered, 
from  all  points  of  view,  as  to  result  in  a  unanimous 
recommendation  on  the  part  of  the  Commission. 

"In  conclusion,  I  venture  to  express  the  hope 
that  the  work  entrusted  to  your  hands  will  be 
brought  to  an  early  and  satisfactory  conclusion, 
and  that  the  lines  occupied  by  both  armies  in  that 
battle  will  be  so  permanently  marked  as  to  enable 
the  important  and  decisive  operations  conducted 
there  to  be  clearly  seen  and  understood,  and  the 
field  preserved  in  all  its  essential  features." 

The  act  of  Congress  authorizing  the  Commission 
placed  at  its  disposal  the  sum  of  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars  "for  the  purpose  of  preserving 
the  lines  of  battle  at  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania, 
and  for  properly  marking  with  tablets  the  posi 
tions  occupied  by  the  various  commands  of  the 


?•:  ••  -,* 


'    ARMY  OF  NORTHERN  VIRGINIA 

$'  LONGSTREET'S  CORPS   McLAWS'S  DIVISION 


WOFFORD'S     BRIGADE 
I6TH  I8TH  24TH   REGIMENTS       COBB'S  AND 
PHILLIPS  LEGIONS       GEORGIA    INFANTRY 


JULY  2  ARRIVED  AT  4  p.  ft.  AND  FORMED  LINE  too  YARDS  WEST  or  THIS   ORDERED 

IT  ABOUT  6  P.  M.  AND  ADVANCING  SOON  AFTERWARD  ALONG 

THE  WHEATFIELD  ROAD  FLANKED  THE  UNION  FORCES  ASSAILING  THE  LOOP 
AND  AIDED  THE  CONFEDERATES  THEREBY  RELIEVED  IN  DRIVING  THEM  BACK 
THROUGH  THE  WHEATFIELD  TO  THE  FOOT  OF  LITTLE  ROUND  TOP  ASSAILED 
THERE  BY  A  STRONG  BODY  OF  FRESH  TROOPS  AND  RECEIVING  AT  THE  SAME 
MOMENT  AN  ORDER  TO  WITHDRAW  THE  BRIGADE  FELL  BACK  AT  SUNSET  TO 

THE  GROVE  WEST  OF  THE  WHEATFIELD 

JULY  3  ONE  REGIMENT  WAS  LEFT  ON  OUTPOST  DUTY  IN  THAT  GROVE  THE  OTHERS 
SUPPORTED  ARTILLERY  ON  PEACH  ORCHARD  RIDGE  ALL  WITHDREW  LATE 
IN  THE  AFTERNOON 

JULY  4  IN  LINE  HERE  ALL  DAY  AT  MIDNIGHT  BEGAN  THE  MARCH  TO  HAGERSTOWN 
PRESENT  ABOUT  1350  KILLED  36  WOUNDED  20?  MISSING  112  TOTAL  355 


Brigade  Tablet — Confederate. 


National  Park  Commission        165 

armies  of  the  Potomac  and  of  Northern  Virginia 
on  that  field,  and  for  opening  and  improving 
avenues  along  the  positions  occupied  by  troops 
upon  those  lines,  and  for  fencing  the  same,  and  for 
determining  the  leading  tactical  positions  of  bat 
teries,  regiments,  brigades,  divisions,  corps,  and 
other  organizations  with  reference  to  the  study 
and  correct  understanding  of  the  battle,  and  to 
mark  the  same  with  suitable  tablets,  each  bearing 
a  brief  historical  legend,  compiled  without  praise 
and  without  censure." 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  chairman  of  the 
Commission  was  the  selection  of  a  topographical 
engineer.  Lieut. -Col.  E.  B.  Cope  was  called  to  the 
position — a  position  for  which  he  had  ample 
qualifications,  and  in  which  he  has  performed  the 
most  valuable  service.  His  first  work  was  to  estab 
lish  a  meridian,  which  in  all  the  surveys  since  the 
war  had  not  been  done.  The  datum  point  of  refer 
ence  was  the  centre  of  the  square  in  the  town  of 
Gettysburg,  and  a  meridian  line  was  established 
on  the  high  ground  of  the  Gettysburg  Battle-field 
Memorial  Association,  near  Hancock  Avenue. 
Using  this  meridian  as  a  base  of  operations  many 
miles  of  backsight  transit  lines  were  at  once  run 
on  various  parts  of  the  field. 

Early  attention  was  given  by  the  Commissioners 
to  an  examination  of  Seminary  Ridge  with  refer- 


1 66  The  National  Park 

ence  to  the  laying  out  of  an  avenue  that  should 
make  accessible  the  line  occupied  by  the  Confed 
erate  forces  on  that  ridge  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  second  and  third  days'  battle,  the  ridge  afford 
ing  a  view  of  the  entire  Union  line  from  Cemetery 
Hill  to  the  Round  Tops.  Along  this  line,  and  in 
rear  of  it,  there  remained  many  traces  of  Confeder 
ate  breastworks,  and  in  all  cases  where  stone  walls 
were  found,  that  had  been  used  for  defensive  pur 
poses,  they  were  included  in  the  proposed  avenue, 
now  known  as  Confederate  Avenue.  Other  ave 
nues  having  reference  to  Confederate  lines  were 
also  surveyed.  Various  tracts  of  land  on  which 
were  the  remains  of  breastworks,  and  properties 
at  important  parts  of  the  battle-field,  were  care 
fully  surveyed.  An  area  of  about  one  and  a  half 
square  miles,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Springs  Hotel, 
received  especial  attention,  the  object  being  to  map 
that  territory  to  the  minutest  detail,  including 
the  projected  Confederate  avenues. 

In  entering  upon  their  work  the  Commissioners 
found  important  lines  of  battle  occupied  by  an 
electric  railway,  the  construction  of  which  was 
begun  in  April,  1893.  So  objectionable  was  this 
occupation  deemed  by  the  Commission  that  an 
effort  was  commenced  for  the  removal  of  the  rail 
way.  In  this  effort  the  Commissioners  had 
the  hearty  support  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 


4 


I 


National  Park  Commission        167 

and  the  effort  resulted  in  the  suspension  of  the 
work. 

One  incident  connected  with  the  opening  of  the 
work  of  the  Commission  was  the  visit,  August  23, 
1893,  of  an  excursion  party  from  Winchester,  Va. 
Many  of  the  party,  Confederate  veterans,  members 
of  the  Stonewall  Brigade,  had  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Gettysburg.  The  Commissioners  accom 
panied  them  to  various  parts  of  the  field,  and 
noted  and  marked  positions  which  they  occupied 
at  the  time  of  the  battle.  In  this  way  these  veter 
ans  gave  the  Commissioners  valuable  assistance, 
in  which  they  have  had  many  followers  in  subse 
quent  years. 

The  scheme  for  the  complete  and  exhaustive 
topographical  study  of  the  battle-field,  begun  in 
1893,  was  continued  in  1894,  in  order  to  have  an 
accurate  and  complete  instrumental  survey  of  the 
entire  field.  The  work  of  constructing  proposed 
avenues  was  commenced.  The  Telford  system  of 
road-building  was  adopted,  and  so  satisfactory 
did  the  system  prove  that  it  has  been  retained  in 
all  later  construction. 

Several  important  properties  needed  for  the 
construction  of  proposed  avenues  were  now  se 
cured.  All  efforts  to  induce  the  Gettysburg 
Electric  Railroad  to  vacate  the  lines  of  battle  in 
what  is  known  as  the  Loop,  the  Devil's  Den,  and 


1 68  The  National  Park 

through  the  Valley  of  Death  having  failed,  the 
Commissioners  requested  the  Secretary  of  War 
to  undertake  condemnation  proceedings,  and 
these  were  commenced.  As  the  result  of  these 
proceedings,  damages  to  the  amount  of  thirty  thou 
sand  dollars  were  awarded  to  the  electric  company ; 
but  the  company  appealed,  considering  the  award 
inadequate,  and  the  Commissioners,  with  the  ap 
proval  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  also  appealed, 
on  the  ground  that  the  award  was  excessive  and 
detrimental  to  the  best  interests  of  the  United 
States. 

On  August  n,  1894,  General  Lewis,  Colonel 
Tate,  and  Colonel  Keenan,  of  North  Carolina, 
visited  the  battle-field  and  located  the  position  of 
many  of  the  North  Carolina  troops.  General 
Harry  Heth,  of  Longstreet's  command,  also 
visited  the  field  about  the  same  time  and  located 
the  position  of  the  two  batteries  of  his  division, 
from  which  the  first  shots  were  fired  that  opened 
the  battle  on  the  morning  of  July  ist.  On  October- 
3oth  a  committee  of  the  Seventh  West  Virginia 
Infantry  located  their  battle-line  on  the  Pfeffer 
property,  near  Ziegler's  Grove. 

General  Forney,  the  Confederate  member  of  the 
Commission,  died  at  his  home  in  Jacksonville, 
Ala.,  January  16,  1894.  Major  William  M.  Rob- 
bins,  of  States ville,  N.  C.,  whose  service  during 


National  Park  Commission        169 

the  war  was  with  the  Fourth  Alabama,  was  made 
his  successor. 

By  an  act  of  Congress,  approved  February  n, 
1895,  the  Secretary  of  War  was  authorized  to  re 
ceive  from  the  Gettysburg  Battle-field  Memorial 
Association  a  deed  of  conveyance  to  the  United 
States  of  the  lands  belonging  to  the  Association, 
together  with  all  rights  of  way  over  avenues 
through  these  lands,  and  all  improvements  made 
upon  it,  and  the  Secretary  was  authorized  to  pay 
to  the  Association  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dol 
lars,  or  so  much  thereof  as  might  be  necessary,  to 
discharge  the  debts  of  the  Association.  As  soon  as 
this  conveyance  should  take  place  the  Secretary 
of  War  was  directed  to  take  possession  of  the  lands 
thus  acquired,  or  afterward  acquired,  the  whole 
to  be  designated  and  known  as  the  "  Gettysburg 
National  Park." 

In  the  act,  the  duty  of  the  Commissioners  was 
stated  as  follows:  "To  superintend  the  opening  of 
such  additional  roads  as  may  be  necessary  for  the 
purposes  of  the  park  and  for  the  improvement  of 
the  avenues  heretofore  laid  out  therein,  and 
properly  to  mark  the  boundaries  of  the  said  park, 
and  to  ascertain  and  definitely  mark  the  lines  of 
battle  of  all  troops  engaged  in  the  battle  cf 
Gettysburg,  so  far  as  the  same  shall  fall  within  the 
limits  of  the  park." 


170  The  National  Park 

By  this  act  the  Secretary  of  War  was  authorized 
and  directed  to  acquire,  at  such  time  and  in  such 
manner  as  might  seem  to  him  best  calculated  to 
serve  the  public  interest,  such  lands  in  the  vicinity 
of  Gettysburg  as  were  occupied  by  the  infantry, 
cavalry,  and  artillery  on  the  first,  second,  and 
third  days  of  July,  1863,  and  such  other  adjacent 
lands  as  he  might  deem  necessary  to  preserve  the 
important  topographical  features  of  the  battle 
field  ;  not,  however,  to  prejudice  the  rights  acquired 
by  any  State  or  by  any  military  organization  to 
the  ground  on  which  its  monuments  or  markers 
are  placed,  or  the  right  of  way  to  the  same. 

The  act  appropriated  the  sum  of  five  thousand 
dollars  for  a  suitable  bronze  tablet,  containing  on 
it  the  address  delivered  by  Abraham  Lincoln  at 
the  dedication  of  the  National  Cemetery  at  Gettys 
burg,  November  19,  1863,  also  on  it  a  medallion 
likeness  of  Mr.  Lincoln ;  and  the  Secretary  of  War 
was  directed  to  have  the  tablet  erected  on  the 
most  suitable  site  within  the  limits  of  the 
park.1 

For  carrying  out  the  general  purposes  of  the  act, 
that  is,  for  opening,  improving,  and  repairing 
necessary  roads  and  avenues,  providing  surveys 
and  maps,  suitably  marking  the  boundaries  of  the 
park,  and  for  the  pay  and  expenses  of  the  Commis- 

1  This  has  not  yet  (1906)  been  erected. 


Tower  on  Confederate  Avenue. 


National  Park  Commission        171 

sioners  and  their  assistants,  Congress  appropriated 
the  sum  of  seventy-five  thousand  dollars. 

The  work  of  constructing  avenues  and  roads 
was  continued  by  the  Commission  in  1895.  Two 
bridges  were  built  over  Plum  Run,  one  on  United 
States  Avenue,  the  other  on  Confederate  Avenue. 
Four  steel  towers,  also,  were  erected  according  to 
a  design  prepared  by  Colonel  Cope:  namely,  one 
on  Big  Round  Top,  one  on  Seminary  Ridge  near 
the  Wheatfield  road,  one  on  Seminary  Ridge  near 
the  Mummasburg  road,  overlooking  the  scene  of 
the  first  day's  fight;  and  one  on  the  summit  of 
Gulp's  Hill.  These  towers  added  greatly  to  the 
facilities  provided  by  the  Commissioners  for  an 
intelligent  study  of  the  Gettysburg  battle-field. 

The  foundation  for  the  equestrian  statue  of 
Maj.-Gen.  W.  S.  Hancock  was  completed  Septem 
ber  23,  1895,  and  the  statue  was  erected  soon 
after.  It  was  dedicated  June  5,  1896.  This  was 
the  first  equestrian  statue  erected  upon  the 
Gettysburg  battle-field.  The  equestrian  statue 
of  General  Meade  was  erected  very  soon  after 
that  of  General  Hancock,  and  it  was  dedicated  on 
the  same  day  as  the  Hancock  statue. 

The  volunteer  batteries  of  the  Union  army 
were  generally  represented  at  this  time  by  a 
single  cannon  mounted  upon  inferior  carriages. 
The  Commission  now  substituted  an  improved 


i?2  The  National  Park 

iron  gun-carriage,  resting  upon  granite  foundation 
stones.  Such  carriages  also  were  provided  for 
cannon  to  mark  the  position  of  Confederate 
batteries. 

The  position  of  the  various  commands  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  had  been  determined  and 
marked  for  the  most  part  by  the  Memorial  Asso 
ciation.  Those  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia 
remained  for  the  Commissioners  to  ascertain  and 
locate.  Surviving  Confederate  officers  and  soldiers 
were  invited  to  visit  Gettysburg,  and  the  governors 
of  States  in  the  South  were  requested  to  send 
commissioners  representing  Confederate  com 
mands  to  aid  the  park  Commissioners  in  this 
work.  The  responses  from  the  South  to  these 
invitations  were  exceedingly  gratifying. 

Seminary  Avenue  was  completed  in  1896;  also 
that  part  of  Seminary  Avenue  running  from  the 
Chambersburg  pike  southward  along  Seminary 
Ridge  as  far  as  the  government  then  owned  the 
right  of  way;  also  Hancock  Avenue  which  runs 
from  the  National  Cemetery  gate  southward  along 
the  main  Union  line  of  battle  to  the  east  end  of 
United  States  Avenue;  also  Sickles  Avenue, 
which  runs  from  the  Emmittsburg  road  southeast 
ward,  via  the  Loop  and  the  Wheatfield,  to  the 
Devil's  Den.  Slocum  Avenue,  which  follows  the 
battle-lines  over  Gulp's  Hill,  was  at  this  time 


National  Park  Commission        173 

in  course  of  construction  and  nearly  completed. 

In  their  annual  report  for  1896  the  Commission 
ers  say:  "Handsome  tablets  of  iron,  not  only  for 
each  battery,  but  also  for  each  command  of  in 
fantry  and  cavalry,  will  stand  along  the  main  lines 
of  battle,  with  brief  inscriptions  specifying  the 
name  of  each  command,  its  service  in  the  battle, 
and  referring  to  auxiliary  and  subordinate  tablets 
so  placed  as  to  indicate  successive  movements 
during  the  conflict.  Much  thought  has  been  given 
to  the  preparation  of  these  tablets  and  their 
inscriptions  for  the  Confederate  commands,  so 
as  to  arrive  at  the  utmost  possible  historic  ac 
curacy  with  regard  to  each  one  as  well  as  per 
fect  consistency  and  fairness  among  them  as  a 
whole.  This  is  a  work  requiring  great  deliberation 
and  painstaking,  but  we  hope  to  accomplish  it 
satisfactorily." 

At  this  time  the  Commissioners  announced  the 
erection  of  a  fifth  steel  tower.  This  was  placed 
near  the  centre  of  the  field  in  Ziegler's  Grove,  and 
not  far  from  the  point  where  the  battle  ended  with 
the  gallant  but  unsuccessful  charge  made  by 
Pickett's  and  other  commands  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  third  day. 

In  1897,  Sedgwick,  Sykes,  and  Meade  avenues 
were  constructed.  Sedgwick  Avenue  leads  from 
the  southern  end  of  Hancock  Avenue  to  the 


174  The  National  Park 

northern  base  of  Little  Round  Top,  following  the 
Sixth  Corps  line,  and  continues  on  until  it  connects 
with  Confederate  Avenue  on  the  western  slope  of 
Big  Round  Top.  Meade  Avenue  leads  from 
General  Meade's  headquarters  on  the  Taneytown 
road  to  Hancock  Avenue,  at  the  point  where  the 
Confederate  assault  of  the  third  day  culminated. 
That  part  of  Crawford  Avenue  which  leads  from 
the  Devil's  Den  northward  through  the  Valley 
of  Death  to  the  Wheatfield  road,  including  a 
bridge  over  Plum  Run,  was  also  completed,  and 
Hancock  Avenue  was  widened  to  one  hundred 
feet  by  purchasing  the  necessary  ground  on  each 
side,  a  much- needed  improvement.  Among  the 
other  avenues  which  were  still  rough,  narrow, 
and  unsightly  ways,  scarcely  passable,  were 
Wright  Avenue,  leading  from  the  gap  between 
the  Round  Tops,  southeasterly  across  the  Taney 
town  road,  along  the  line  of  the  left  division  of  the 
Sixth  Corps;  Pleasonton  Avenue,  from  Hancock 
Avenue  eastward  by  the  cavalry  headquarters 
to  the  Taneytown  road;  and  the  return  avenue 
on  Gulp's  Hill,  from  Spangler's  Spring  westward 
along  the  southern  base  of  that  hill,  marking  the 
battle-line  where  the  Union  forces  formed  in 
the  early  morning  of  July  3d,  and  advanced  for  the 
recovery  of  their  position  captured  by  the  Con 
federates  the  evening  before.  Reynolds,  Buford, 


to 


National  Park  Commission        175 

and  Howard  avenues,  along  the  lines  of  the  first 
day's  fight,  were  still  only  dirt  roads,  and  there 
was  urgent  need  of  a  new  avenue  leading  from 
the  southeastern  base  of  Gulp's  Hill  across  Rock 
Creek  to  the  extreme  right  flank  of  the  Union  and 
left  flank  of  the  Confederate  forces.  Indeed,  up 
to  1898,  the  attention  of  the  Commission  was 
given  very  largely  to  the  roads  and  avenues  con 
nected  with  the  movements  on  the  second  and 
third  days'  battle-fields. 

Attention  was  now  directed  to  the  roads  and 
avenues  connected  with  the  operations  of  July 
ist.  Howard  Avenue,  which  leads  from  the  Har- 
risburg  road,  near  Rock  Creek,  westward  by 
Barlow's  Knoll  to  the  Mummasburg  road,  was 
completed,  and  Reynolds  Avenue  was  completed 
in  the  following  spring.  On  Confederate  Avenue 
there  still  remained  a  gap  of  two  miles  along  the 
right  of  Hill's  and  the  left  of  Longstreet's 
position.  This  the  Commission  wished  to  con 
struct,  thus  completing  Confederate  Avenue  from 
the  Chambersburg  pike  northwest  of  the  town 
southward  and  eastward  to  Big  Round  Top,  a 
distance  of  five  miles.  The  owners  of  the  land 
asked  such  exorbitant  prices  for  it,  however,  that 
the  Secretary  of  War  and  the  Commission  did  not 
feel  justified  in  meeting  their  demands.  Accord 
ingly  proceedings  with  reference  to  condemnation 


1 76  The  National  Park 

were  commenced ;  but  vexatious  delays  and  con 
tinuances  were  resorted  to,  and  it  was  not  until 
1900  that  the  necessary  land  on  Seminary  Ridge 
for  the  completion  of  Confederate  Avenue  was 
secured. 

The  two  parts  of  Sickles  Avenue  previously 
disconnected  were  united  in  1899  by  constructing 
an  avenue  eleven  hundred  feet  in  length  along 
what  is  known  as  the  Wheatfield  road,  which 
was  a  public  highway  when  Sickles  Avenue  was 
made,  and  so  could  not  be  occupied  and  im 
proved  as  a  battle-field  avenue.  This  difficulty 
had  now  been  obviated  by  an  act  of  the  Penn 
sylvania  Legislature  ceding  jurisdiction  of  all 
such  roads  to  the  United  States,  and  an  act  of 
Congress  authorizing  the  Secretary  of  War  to 
improve  such  of  these  roads  as  in  his  discretion 
might  be  deemed  needful.  Sickles  Avenue  was 
now  made  continuous,  and  follows,  as  near  as  the 
contour  of  the  ground  will  permit,  the  entire  line 
of  the  Third  Army  Corps  from  the  Emmittsburg 
road  near  the  Rogers  house  to  the  Devil's  Den. 

The  equestrian  statue  of  Maj.-Gen.  John  F. 
Reynolds,  a  gift  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  was 
unveiled  with  appropriate  ceremonies  July  9,  1899. 

In  the  same  year  an  avenue,  known  as  East 
Confederate  Avenue,  extending  from  the  eastern 
border  of  the  town  across  the  intervening  fields 


National  Park  Commission        177 

to  Gulp's  Hill,  and  around  the  base  of  that  hill  to 
Spangler's  Spring,  was  completed.  Nearly  a  mile 
and  a  half  long,  and  twenty  feet  wide,  it  follows 
substantially  the  battle-line  of  Swell's  corps,  at  its 
southeastern  terminus  joining  Slocum  Avenue, 
which  marks  the  line  of  the  Twelfth  Corps  along 
the  summit  of  Gulp's  Hill. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the 
mounted  cannon  on  the  battle-field  when  the 
Commission  entered  upon  its  work  in  1893,  and 
to  the  changes  made  in  the  carriages  on  which 
they  rested.  These  cannon  were  not  of  the  same 
calibre  as  those  used  in  the  battle.  Not  only  were 
new  carriages  now  substituted  for  the  old,  imper 
fect  ones,  but  new  guns,  and  many  additional 
batteries,  all  of  the  same  class  and  calibre  as  those 
used  in  the  battle  by  each  battery. 

By  the  close  of  1900  there  were  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  mounted  guns  on  the  battle-field, 
and  the  total  number  of  monumental  iron  tablets 
with  appropriate  inscriptions  had  increased  to 
three  hundred  and  ten. 

In  order  to  preserve  the  natural  features  of  the 
battle-field  as  they  existed  July  1-3,  1863,  stone 
walls  were  rebuilt  and  the  woods,  cut  off  in  the 
intervening  years,  were  renewed,  thousands  of 
young  trees  being  planted  for  this  purpose.  At 
the  same  time,  great  care  was  exercised  in  keeping 


1 78  The  National  Park 

in  good  condition  the  trees  in  the  Park  that  were 
standing  in  1863. 

In  1901,  West  Confederate  Avenue,  twenty  feet 
wide  and  over  two  miles  long,  extending  from  the 
Hagerstown  road  near  the  Seminary  southward 
along  Seminary  Ridge,  following  the  Confederate 
line  of  battle  on  the  second  and  third  days,  was 
completed.  This  now  rendered  accessible,  for  the 
first  time,  the  ground  on  which  the  Confederate 
column  was  formed  in  preparation  for  Pickett's 
charge.  The  completion  of  this  part  of  Confederate 
Avenue  not  only  provided  an  easy  way  to  the  lines 
of  the  Confederate  forces  at  that  point,  but  it 
opened  up  a  more  satisfactory  view  of  a  large 
part  of  the  battle-field,  including  some  of  the 
most  important  and  interesting  Union  positions, 
thereby  enabling  the  visitor,  and  especially  the 
military  critic,  to  study  without  great  incon 
venience,  and  better  than  before,  the  scene  of  the 
great  conflict. 

One  very  valuable  part  of  the  work  of  the 
engineer's  department  under  Colonel  Cope  was 
the  preparation  of  two  large  maps  of  the  battle 
field,  on  a  scale  of  six  hundred  feet  to  the  inch 
and  embracing  an  area  of  seventeen  square  miles. 
These  maps  were  completed  in  1901.  On  one  of 
these  maps,  showing  the  topography  of  the 
battle-field  as  it  was  in  1863,  with  accuracy  in 


National  Park  Commission        179 

every  detail,  the  positions  of  the  troops  on  both 
sides  have  since  been  marked  for  every  hour  of 
July  ist,  2d,  and  3d,  a  copy  of  the  map  being  used 
for  each  hour  of  the  three  days.  The  other  map 
shows  not  only  the  topography  in  general,  but 
the  timber,  fences,  rocks,  buildings,  mounted 
guns,  avenues,  monuments,  in  short  everything 
on  the  battle-field  as  it  is  at  the  present  time. 

Chamberlain  and  Warren  avenues  were  added 
in  1902.  The  former  runs  southward  from  near 
the  summit  of  Little  Round  Top  along  the  crest 
of  Vincent  Spur  and  the  battle-line  of  the  Union 
troops  in  their  defence  of  that  position  in  the  after 
noon  of  July  2,  1863 ;  and  then,  curving  down  the 
slope,  connects  with  Sykes  Avenue  in  the  gap 
between  Big  Round  Top  and  Little  Round  Top. 
Warren  Avenue  starts  from  Sykes  Avenue  at  that 
same  point,  and  runs  westward  along  the  base  of 
Little  Round  Top  to  Plum  Run  Valley,  and  cross 
ing  that  run  joins  Crawford  Avenue  near  the 
Devil's  Den. 

At  this  time,  also,  the  Commission  could  report 
that  monumental  tablets  had  been  erected  along 
Confederate  Avenue  on  Seminary  Ridge  marking 
the  positions  of  all  the  Confederate  brigades  that 
occupied  the  ridge,  from  the  Wheatfield  road  on 
the  right  to  the  Hagerstown  road  on  the  left. 
These  tablets,  like  all  the  other  tablets  on  the 


i8o  The  National  Park 

battle-field,  are  in  dimensions  three  feet  nine 
inches  by  two  feet  six  inches,  with  carefully  pre 
pared  inscriptions,  cast  in  raised  letters,  describ 
ing  the  part  taken  in  the  battle  by  each  brigade, 
and  stating  its  numbers  and  losses  so  far  as  is 
ascertainable. 

Nine  itinerary  tablets,  at  this  time,  had  also 
been  erected  on  East  Cemetery  Hill,  along  the 
Baltimore  pike,  describing  the  movements  and 
positions  of  the  Union  army,  and  each  of  the 
commands  composing  it,  on  each  day  from  June 
29  to  July  7,  1863. 

On  Seminary  Ridge  ten  Confederate  tablets 
also  were  now  erected,  recording  the  movements 
of  the  Confederate  army  and  its  several  corps, 
divisions,  and  brigades  on  each  day  from  June 
26th,  when  the  last  of  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia  crossed  the  Potomac  into  Maryland, 
until  after  the  close  of  the  battle  and  the  retreat 
from  Gettysburg,  July  5,  1863. 

Buford  Avenue,  extending  from  Reynolds  Ave 
nue  northwestward  to  the  Mummasburg  road 
along  the  line  of  the  Union  cavalry,  which  threat 
ened  the  left  flank  of  the  Confederate  infantry  on 
the  forenoon  of  July  ist,  and  Stone  Avenue,  which 
runs  along  the  line  of  the  Bucktail  Brigade  from 
the  Chambersburg  pike  to  Reynolds  woods,  were 
completed  in  1903. 


Slocum  Statue. 


National  Park  Commission        181 

An  equestrian  statue  of  Maj.-Gen.  Henry  W. 
Slocum,  erected  by  the  State  of  New  York,  was 
dedicated  September  19,  1902. 

Additional  purchases  of  land  amounting  to  one 
hundred  and  ninety-four  acres  were  made  in 
1904,  and  the  total  area  of  lands  at  Gettysburg 
then  in  possession  of  the  United  States  Govern 
ment  was  thirteen  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  or 
about  two  and  a  half  square  miles. 

In  this  year,  eighty-one  hundred  trees  were 
purchased  by  the  Commission,  and  these,  under 
the  direction  of  S.  B.  Detwiler,  field  assistant  of 
the  United  States  Bureau  of  Forestry,  were 
planted  on  Seminary  Ridge,  on  United  States 
land  south  of  the  McMillan  woods,  and  southerly 
along  the  border  of  West  Confederate  Avenue  to 
the  Wheatfield  road,  a  distance  of  nearly  two 
miles;  and  on  the  Masonheimer  land,  south  of 
United  States  Avenue. 

By  an  act  passed  February  18,  1903,  and  a 
supplemental  act  approved  March  12,  1905, 
Congress  directed  the  Commission,  subject  to  the 
supervision  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  to  erect 
monuments  and  markers  to  the  forty-two  organi 
zations  of  the  Regular  Army  that  participated  in 
the  battle  at  Gettysburg.  An  appropriation  of 
sixty- three  thousand  dollars  was  made  for  this 
purpose,  and  the  Secretary  of  War  procured  as 


1 82  The  National  Park 

far  as  practicable  the  appointment  of  committees 
of  the  survivors  of  these  organizations  for  the 
purpose  of  having  the  Commissioners  consult 
with  them  and,  with  the  approval  of  the  Secretary 
of  War,  determine  the  designs  and  positions  of 
these  markers  and  monuments,  and  the  inscrip 
tions  to  be  placed  upon  them.  The  meeting  of  the 
committee  and  the  Commissioners  was  held  at 
Gettysburg,  October  17  and  18,  1905. 

Major  William  M.  Robbins,  the  Confederate 
member  of  the  Commission,  who  had  served  con 
tinuously  since  his  appointment  in  March,  1894, 
died  May  i,  1905,  and  Maj.-Gen.  L.  L.  Lomax,  of 
Virginia,  was  made  his  successor.  Major  Robbins 
had  become  widely  known  in  connection  with  the 
work  of  the  Commission,  and  he  had  a  large  circle 
of  friends  in  the  survivors  of  both  armies. 

In  the  autumn  of  1904,  four  thousand  one 
hundred  trees  were  planted  in  the  open  spaces  in 
what  were  known  as  Pitzer's  woods,  Biesecker's 
woods,  and  Masonheimer's  field. 

"  A  few  small  tracts  of  land,"  say  the  Commis 
sioners  in  their  report  for  1905,  amounting  to 
about  thirty-six  acres,  are  needed  to  connect 
avenues,  especially  the  main  field  with  the  cavalry 
field,  east  of  the  town.  A  wooded  tract  of  seventy 
acres,  known  as  Powers  Hill,  is  also  needed  to 
preserve  the  topographical  features  of  the  field, 


National  Park  Commissfon        183 

and  to  mark  the  headquarters  of  General  Slocum 
during  the  battle,  and  the  positions  of  two  bat 
teries  and  a  regiment  of  infantry." 

In  this  report,  the  Commissioners  suggested 
that  markers  be  placed  to  indicate  the  farthest 
and  most  important  advances  of  the  Confederate 
brigades  in  the  attack  on  the  Union  positions  dur 
ing  July  ist,  2d,  and  3d.  The  tablets  on  the  Con 
federate  avenues  give  condensed  itineraries  only 
showing  where  the  Confederate  forces  started 
from.  The  markers  suggested  will  show  the  points 
reached,  and  give  an  outline  history  of  the  field  of 
attack.  The  advanced  positions  of  the  Union 
regiments  are  now  marked  by  monuments  and 
markers  which  have  been  erected  by  the  various 
States. 

Colonel  E.  A.  Garlington,  Inspector-General, 
U.  S.  A.,  made  an  inspection  of  the  work  of  the 
Commission  near  the  close  of  1904.  In  his  report 
he  says:  " Since  July,  1893,  there  have  been  con 
structed  twenty  miles  of  Telford  avenues ;  thirteen 
and  one  half  miles  of  avenue  fencing,  built  of 
locust  posts  and  gas-pipe  rails;  twelve  and  one 
half  miles  of  fencing  built  of  posts  and  rails ;  thir 
teen  miles  of  gutter  paving.  Five  and  one  quarter 
miles  of  stone  walls  have  been  rebuilt  at  locations 
where  stone  walls  existed  at  the  time  of  the  battle. 
Three  hundred  and  twenty-four  guns  have  been 


1 84  The  National  Park 

mounted;  four  hundred  and  sixty- two  tablets 
have  been  erected,  and  seventeen  thousand  and 
one  hundred  trees  have  been  planted.  The  trees 
are  planted  on  ground  that  was  covered  with  trees 
at  the  time  of  the  battle.  All  this  work  has  been 
well  done. 

"The  roads  have  been  constructed  on  the 
Telford  system;  the  roadbed,  carefully  graded  and 
drained,  was  covered  with  a  course  of  stone,  paved 
by  hand,  consisting  of  hard  stone  eight  to  ten 
inches  long,  seven  to  eight  inches  wide,  and  four 
to  six  inches  thick,  and  bowlders  about  the  same 
size,  set  up  on  edge,  thickest  edge  down,  length 
across  the  road,  and  laid  so  as  to  break  joints  as 
much  as  possible,  forming  a  rough,  irregular  pave 
ment,  eight  inches  thick  over  the  whole  roadbed, 
the  joints  between  the  stones  being  chinked  and 
knapped  with  smaller  stones  and  stone  chips 
driven  in,  projecting  points  above  eight  inches 
being  knocked  off  with  a  hammer. 

"A  course  of  stones  twelve  inches  high,  twelve 
to  eighteen  inches  long,  six  to  eight  inches  thick, 
is  laid  at  the  sides  of  the  subgrade.  This  founda 
tion  is  covered  to  a  depth  of  five  inches  in  the 
centre,  and  four  inches  at  the  sides,  with  broken 
stone,  one  and  one  half  inches  dimensions.  This 
is  rolled  by  a  thirteen- ton  roller  at  least  five  times 
after  being  sprinkled.  One  half  inch  of  clay  is  then 


National  Park  Commission        185 

spread  over  this  layer,  which  is  then  covered  with 
two  inches  of  granite  screenings,  three-fourths- 
inch  size,  which  is  sprinkled  and  rolled  five  times ; 
finally,  over  this  a  half  inch  of  fine  limestone 
screenings  is  evenly  spread  over  the  entire  surface, 
sprinkled  and  rolled  at  least  ten  times. 

"  Some  of  these  roads  have  been  in  use  ten  years 
and  show  very  little  signs  of  wear:  in  fact,  they 
are  as  good  as  when  first  completed.  The  average 
cost  of  these  roads  has  been  about  seventy-three 
and  one  half  cents  per  square  yard — something 
over  eight  thousand  dollars  a  mile.  With  proper 
care  and  maintenance  they  will  last  indefinitely. 
The  guttering  along  these  roads  now  being  con 
structed  under  the  supervision  of  the  chief  engineer 
by  day  labor  is  an  improvement  over  that  first 
put  down  by  the  contract  system.  It  is  of  excellent 
quality  and  should  endure  for  a  long  time. 

"I  thoroughly  inspected  the  roads,  avenues, 
and  the  park  generally,  both  on  the  infantry  field 
and  on  the  cavalry  field.  The  roads,  fences, 
monuments,  woodlands,  and  shrubbery  are  in 
good  condition,  and  the  entire  park,  as  observed, 
was  well  policed  and  free  from  rubbish  and  other 
disfiguring  elements.  The  character  of  the  work 
done  and  the  general  conditions  showed  a  very 
intelligent  and  thorough  system  as  to  construction, 


1 86  The  National  Park 

care,  and  maintenance.  I  have  nothing  to  suggest 
in  the  way  of  improvements  upon  the  methods  and 
systems  of  the  Commission.  It  appears  to  me  that 
they  have  accomplished  a  great  work,  one  of  the 
principal  features  being  the  extreme  care  taken  to 
ascertain  the  positions  held  by  the  various  com 
mands  participating  in  the  great  battle  fought 
there.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  positions 
thus  far  marked  are  accurate  and  trustworthy." 

The  date  of  the  1905  report  of  the  Commission 
is  June  3oth.  During  the  remainder  of  the  year 
additional  work  was  completed  as  follows :  a  steel 
bridge,  sixty  feet  in  length,  spanning  the  cut  for 
the  Western  railroad  on  Reynolds  Avenue;  three 
additional  avenues,  namely,  North  Confederate 
Avenue,  2365  feet  long,  Colgrove  and  Carman 
Avenue,  1794  feet  long,  and  an  extension  of 
Doubled  ay  Avenue,  720  feet  long;  a  total  of  4879 
feet.  Ten  additional  gun-carriages  were  provided ; 
also  additional  tablets  making  a  total  of  502  now 
on  the  battle-field.  There  were  also  provided 
additional  guttering,  avenue  fencing,  and  post 
fencing.  At  the  close  of  1905  the  amount  of  land 
in  possession  of  the  United  States  at  Gettysburg, 
including  the  National  Cemetery,  was  1686  and 
fVir  acres. 

The  work  of  the  Gettysburg  National  Park 
Commission  has  been  of  the  most  substantial  and 


National  Park  Commission        187 

enduring  kind  throughout.  Intelligence  and  sound 
judgment  have  characterized  alike  its  plans  and 
the  execution  of  those  plans  during  the  past 
thirteen  years.  All  this  time  Colonel  Nicholson 
has  stood  at  the  head  of  the  Commission.  Into  its 
work  he  has  put  himself — his  intense  patriotism, 
his  business  sagacity,  and  his  indomitable  energy 
and  perseverance.  No  other  position,  however 
exalted,  has  been  able  to  secure  his  services.  Great 
singleness  of  purpose  and  a  lofty  consecration 
have  characterized  his  entire  connection  with  the 
Commission.  He  has  had  able  assistants  in  the 
associate  Commissioners.  Major  Richardson,  who 
succeeded  Mr.  Bachelder  in  1895,  is  still  a  member 
of  the  Commission,  giving  to  its  work  his  thorough, 
accurate,  painstaking  knowledge  of  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  battle  and  the  position  of  the 
contesting  forces  during  the  battle.  The  death  of 
Major  Robbins,  in  1905,  brought  to  an  end  a  ser 
vice  in  which,  with  admirable  tact  and  spirit,  he 
represented  upon  the  Commission,  and  in  his 
intercourse  with  visitors,  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia.  General  Lomax,  who  has  taken  his  place, 
has  as  heartily  and  loyally  entered  into  his  labors. 
There  can  be  no  mention  of  the  work  of  the 
Commission  which  does  not  include  a  reference 
to  the  work  of  the  chief  engineer,  Colonel  Cope 
and  his  assistants,  Mr.  S.  Augustine  Hammond 


1 88  The  National  Park 

and  Mr.  H.  W.  Mattern.  Colonel  Cope's  topo 
graphical  work  upon  the  Gettysburg  battle-field 
was  commenced  by  order  of  General  Meade  in 
August,  1863,  when  the  field  was  in  the  condition 
in  which  it  was  left  at  the  time  of  the  battle.  The 
fine  map  then  made  by  a  party  of  topographical 
engineers  from  the  headquarters  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  under  the  supervision  of  Colonel 
Cope,  has  been  followed  by  the  splendid  relief 
map,  fourteen  feet  long  by  ten  and  a  half  feet 
wide,  representing  twenty -four  square  miles,  or 
substantially  the  entire  battle-field,  with  all  its 
features  of  hill  and  valley,  field  and  forest,  roads, 
buildings,  streams,  bridges — everything  in  fact  as 
it  existed  at  the  time  of  the  battle.  This  map, 
and  other  exhibits  of  the  work  of  Colonel  Cope's 
department,  received  merited  attention  and  com 
mendation  at  the  St.  Louis  Exposition. 

The  appropriations  of  Congress  for  the  work  of 
the  Commission  have  been  as  follows : 

1893  .  .  .  $25,000  1900  .  .  .  $75,000 

1894  .  .  .  50,000  1901  .  .  .  80,000 

1895  .  .  .  75,000  1902  .  .  .  75,000 

1896  .  .  .  50,000  1903  •  •  •  60,000 

1897  .  .  .  50,000  1904  .  .  .  60,000 

1898  .  .  .  50,000  1905  .  .  .  57,000 

1899  .  .  .  69,922.50  1906  .  .  .  72,000* 

»  Reported  by  Committee  on  Sundry  Civil  Bill. 


National  Park  Commission       189 

The  money  thus  appropriated,  amounting  to 
$848,922.50,  has  been  wisely  expended.  Certainly 
no  one  can  have  gone  over  the  Gettysburg  battle 
field  in  recent  years  without  many  expressions  of 
admiration  for  the  substantial  results  which  these 
appropriations  have  secured  in  enlarging  the  area 
of  the  lands  received  from  the  Gettysburg  Battle 
field  Memorial  Association,  ir  preserving  the  prom 
inent  features  of  the  battle-ground,  in  making  it 
easily  accessible  in  all  its  parts,  and  in  carefully, 
accurately  indicating  the  position  of  the  forces 
engaged.  The  appropriations  made  by  Congress 
have  been  generous,  it  is  true,  but  they  have  been 
fully  justified  by  the  results  already  reached. 

And  what  has  now  been  secured  is  a  guarantee 
that  the  work  that  yet  remains  to  be  done  will  be 
executed  with  the  same  fidelity  and  devotion  to 
the  national  interest  that  has  characterized  the 
work  of  the  Commission  to  the  present  time. 
The  future  of  the  battle-field  has  been  made 
secure;  and  when  the  Commissioners  have  com 
pleted  their  labors,  a  small  annual  appropriation 
will  be  ample  for  its  further  care  and  maintenance. 


APPENDIX   A 

GETTYSBURG  BATTLE-FIELD  MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION 

DIRECTORS  FROM  1872  TO  1880 
Gen.  John  W.  Geary,  Gov.  of  Penn., 

President 1872 

David  McConaughy,  Gettysburg,  Vice- 

President        .....  1872—1879 

Henry  C.  Carey,  Esq.,  Philadelphia       .  1872—1879 

Gen.  J.  Watts  De  Peyster,  New  York    .  1872-1879 

Wm.     M.     Hersh,    Gettysburg   .           .  1872-1879 

Hon.  A.  D.  Heister,  Pennsylvania         .  1872—1874 

Joel  B.  Danner,  Gettysburg           .          .  1872-1874 

George  Arnold,  Gettysburg           .          .  1872-1879 

Alexander  D.  Buehler,  Gettysburg         .  1872-1879 

Charles  Horner,  M.D.,  Gettysburg         .  1872-1879 

J.  Lawrence  Schick,  Esq.,  Gettysburg   .  1872-1879 

John  M.  Krauth,  Esq.,  Gettysburg        .  1872-1879 

Edward  Souder,  Gettysburg         ,          .  1872-1873 

H.  N.  McAllister,  Esq.,  Gettysburg       .  1872 

Gen.  Charles  K.  Graham,  New  York     .  1873-1879 
Gen.  John  F.  Hartranft,  Gov.  of  Penn., 

President         .....  1873-1878 

Gen.  Alexander  S.  Webb,  New  York     .  1873-1879 

Gen.  Horatio  G.  Sickel,  Pennsylvania   .  1874-1879 

Hon.  Edward  McPherson,  Gettysburg  .  1875 

R.  G.  McCreary,  Esq.,  Gettysburg         .  1876-1879 

190 


Gettysburg  Memorial  Association  191 

DIRECTORS  FROM  THE  REORGANIZATION  IN  1880. 

Gen.  Henry  M.   Hoyt,  Gov.  of  Penn., 

President 1879-1882 

R.  G.  McCreary,  Esq.,  Gettysburg,  Vice- 
President  1880-1883 

John  M.  Krauth,  Esq.,  Gettysburg, 
Secretary  from  1872  to  time  of  decease 
in  1890 1880-1887 

Gen  W.  S.  Hancock,  Pennsylvania       .        1880-1884 

Gen.  S.  W.  Crawford,  Pennsylvania       .        1880-1892 

Gen.  Louis  Wagner,  Philadelphia  .        1880-1896 

John  M.  Vanderslice,  Esq.,  Philadelphia, 

1880-1882,  1884-1896 

Maj.  C.  W.  Hazzard,  Pennsylvania 

1880-1882, 1884-1896 

Capt.  John  Taylor,  Philadelphia  .        1880-1884 

Col.   Charles   H.   Buehler,    Gettysburg, 

Vice-President  from  1887  to  1896     .        1880-1896 

J.  L.  Schick,  Treasurer  from   1880  to 

1896 1880-1896 

Maj.  Robert  Bell,  Gettysburg       .          .        1880-1886 

Charles  Horner,  M.D.,  Gettysburg          .        1880-1887 

N.  G.  Wilson,  Gettysburg,  Superin 
tendent  of  Grounds  from  1880  to  1894  1880-1886 

John  B.  Bachelder,  Mass.         1880-1881,   1883-1894 

Robert    E.    Pattison,    Gov.    of    Penn., 

President        .          .          .       1883-1886,  1891-1894 

Gen.  Joshua  L.  Chamberlain,  Maine     .  1883 

Gen.  John  C.  Robinson,  New  York       .  1883 

Gen.  George  Stannard,  Vermont  .  1883 


192 


The  National  Park 


D.  Holtzworth,  Gettysburg  .  .  1884-1888 
D.  A.  Buehler,  Gettysburg,  Vice-Presi- 

dent 1883-1887 

Col.  Eli  G.  Sellers,  Philadelphia  .  .  1885 

Col.  W.  W.  Dudley,  Indiana  .  .  1885 

Gen.  Henry  A.  Barnum,  Now  York  .  1885-1891 

Col.  Frank  D.  Sloat,  Connecticut  .  .  1885-1896 

Col.  Elisha  H.  Rhodes,  Rhode  Island  .  1885-1887 

Gen.  Byron  R.  Pierce,  Michigan  .  .  1885-1887 

John  C.  Linehan,  Nev/  Hampshire  .  1885-1896 

Col.  Charles  L.  Young,  Ohio  .  .  1885-1896 

Col.  Silas  Colgrove,  Indiana  .  .  1886-1887 

Gen.  Lucius  Fairchild,  Wisconsin  .  1886-1896 
Gen.  James  A.  Beaver,  Gov.  of  Penn., 

President  .....  1887—1890 

Capt.  Wm.  E.  Miller,  Pennsylvania  .  1887-1892 
Calvin  Hamilton,  Gettysburg,  Secretary 

from  1890  to  1896  ....  1887—1890 

Capt.  H.  W.  Knight,  D.D.,  Gettysburg  .  1887-1896 

Captain  John  P.  Rea,  Minnesota  .  1888 

Col.  Wheelock  G.  Veazey,  Vermont  .  1888-1896 

Col.  George  C.  Briggs,  Michigan  .  .  1888-1896 

Jacob  Kitzmiller,  Gettysburg  .  .  1888-1896 

Hon.  S.  McC.  Swope,  Gettysburg  .  1888-1896 

Hon.  Edward  McPherson,  Gettysburg  .  1889-1896 

Gen.  Henry  W.  Slocum,  New  York  .  1889-1894 

Gen.  Daniel  E.  Sickles,  New  York  .  1892-1896 

Gen.  Joseph  B.  Carr,  New  York  .  .  1892-1893 

C.  E.  Goldsborough,  M.D.,  Gettysburg  1892-1896 

Gen.  David  McM.  Gregg,  Pennsylvania  1893-1896 


Gettysburg  Memorial  Association  193 

Gen.  Alexander  S.  Webb,  New  York     .  1893-1896 
Hon.  Daniel  S.  Hastings,  Gov.  of  Penn., 

President         ....  1895-1896 

Col.  John  P.  Nicholson,  Philadelphia   .  1895-1896 

Gen.  George  S.  Greene,  New  York         .  1095-1896 

STATE  EXPENDITURES  AT  GETTYSBURG 
MAINE 

1887.  Resolves  making  provisions  for 
monuments,  purchasing  land, 
and  improving  t!ie  same,inclv.d- 
ing  appropriation  of  0-  500.00 
to  the  Memorial  Association  .  $15 ,000.00 

1889.   Maine  Gettysburg  Commission    .          10,000.00 

1891.   High-Water  Mark  monument    .  500.00 

1891.  Changing  flanking  stone,  5th 

Maine  C cittery ,  Seminary  Ridge  2  5 .00 

1891.  5th  llaine  Regiment,  change  lo 
cation,  etc.  .  .  150.00 

1891.    1 7 th  Maine  Reginont,  tablet       .  300.00 

1891.  Expenses  of  the  Executive  Com 
mittee  ....  700.00 

1891.  Printing,  binding,  etc.,  report  of 

Commission  .  .  .  3,600.00 


Total      ....       $30,300.00 

NI'.W  HAMPSHIRE 

1886.   Appropriation  to  the  Gettysburg 

Memorial  Association      .          .         $1,000.00 


194  The  National  Park 

1886.   For  monuments,  2d,  5th  and  i2th 

Regiments  ....  $1,500.00 
1886.  Appropriation  for  monument, 

New  Hampshire  companies  ist 

and  2d  U.  S  Sharpshooters  .  500.00 

1886.  Appropriation  for  repairs  to 

above  monuments  .  .  1,000.00 

1886.  Appropriation  for  monument  at 

High- Water  Mark  .          .  500.00 


Total      ....         $4,500.00 


VERMONT 

1888.  Appropriation  to  the  Gettysburg 
Battle-field  Memorial  Associa 
tion  $1,500.00 

1888.  Appropriation  for  State  monu 
ment  and  statue  .  .  .  11,750.00 

1888.  Appropriation  towards  the  ist 

Cavalry  monument  .  .  1,000.00 

1888.  Appropriation  towards  the  ist 

Brigade  monument  .  .  1,303.00 

1888.  Appropriation  towards  Company 
F's  (ist  U.  S.  Sharpshooters) 
monument  ....  1,200.00 

1888.  Appropriation  for  additional  work 

on  tablets  ....  400.00 

Total      .          .          .          .       $17,953.00 


Gettysburg  Memorial  Association  195 

MASSACHUSETTS 

1883.  For  the  payment  to  the  Gettys 

burg  Memorial  Association  for 

the    purchase    of    additional 

ground  ....         $5,000.00 

1884.  For  the  payment  of  $500  each  to 

the  organizations  of  the  State 
participating  in  the  battle  for 
the  erection  of  monuments  on 
the  Gettysburg  battle-field  .  22,000.00 

1885.  To  the  Massachusetts  Mozart  As 

sociation  of  the  4oth  New  York 
Regiment  for  the  erection  of  a 
monument  ....  500.00 

1888.  For  flank  stones  to  mark  the 
positions  of  the  Massachusetts 
regiments  .  .  .  .  1,200.00 

1891.  For  the  erection  of  a  large  tab 
let  commemorating  the  services 
of  certain  Massachusetts  regi 
ments  ....  400.00 

1891.  For  the  erection  of  a  bronze  tablet  500.00 

1892.  To    the    Gettysburg  Battle-field 

Memorial  Association  to  com 
plete  and  care  for  the  granite 
and  bronze  monument  known 
as  the  High -Water  Mark  monu 
ment  .....  400.00 


Total      ....       $30,000.00 


196  The  National  Park 

RHODE    ISLAND 

1885.  To    the    Gettysburg  Battle-field 

Memorial  Association  for  the 

purchase,  care  of  grounds,  etc.  $1,000.00 
1885.  For  monuments  to  26.  Regiment, 

and  Batteries  A,  B,  and  E  .  2,000.00 

1891.  State  contribution  to  High-Water 

Mark  monument    .          .          .  400.00 

Total      ....         $3,400.00 

CONNECTICUT 

1885.  Gettysburg  Battle-field  Memorial 
Association  for  purchase  of 
portion  of  the  battle-ground  .  $2,500.00 

1888.  5th  Regiment  Connecticut  Vol 

unteers  for  monument    .          .  500.00 

1889.  2d    Light    Battery    Connecticut 

Volunteers  for  monument        .  500.00 

1890.  27th  Regiment  Connecticut  Vol 

unteers  for  monument    .          .  1,000.00 

1890.  i yth  Regiment  Connecticut  Vol 
unteers  for  monument  .  .  1,000.00 

1894.  Gettysburg  Battle-field  Memorial 
Association  for  High- Water 
Mark  monument  .  .  .  200.00 

Total      ....         $5,700.00 


Gettysburg  Memorial  Association  19? 

NEW  YORK 

1889.  For  the  erection  of  the  State  mon 
ument  in  the  National  Ceme 
tery  .....  $50,000.00 

1891.   Additional         ....         10,000.00 

1887.  For    Regimental     and     Battery 

monuments  ....  60,000.00 

1888.  Additional         ....  67,500.00 

1889.  Additional         ....  10,000.00 
1889.   For   the   erection   of   tablets   to 

Battery  E.  and  loth,  nth,  and 

i4th  Batteries  .  .  .  2,000.00 

1885.  To  the  Memorial  Association  .  10,000.00 

1887.  Additional  ....  10,000.00 

1889.  For  markers,  sites  and  sodding  .  1,525.00 

1891.  For  the  erection  of  a  memorial 

bronze  tablet  under  the  super 
vision  of  the  Memorial  Associa 
tion  .....  2,400.00 

1892.  For  the  completion  of  the  same    .  1,000.00 

1893.  Additional         ....  400.00 

Total      ....     $224,825.00 


NEW  JERSEY 

1886-7.   For  Memorial  Association  .  $  3,000.00 

1886-7.   For  regimental  monuments  .  15,450.00 

1886-7.   Individual  contributions  .  5,305.00 


1 98  The  National  Park 

1890.  Monument  of  the  1 2th  Regiment         $1,000.00 

1888.  Expense  of  dedication  of  monu 

ments,  including  the  transpor 
tation  and  subsistence  of  sol 
diers  who  participated  in  the 
battle 19,500.00 

Total    , .        . .          .          .       $44,225.00 

PENNSYLVANIA 

1867.  For  the  purchase  of  portions  of 

the  battle-grounds,  and  general 
purpose  of  Memorial  Associa 
tion  .....$  3,000.00 

1868.  Additional         ....  3,000.00 
1 88 1.   Additional         ....          10,000.00 
1887.   For  marking  the  position  of  each 

of  the  Pennsylvania  commands 
in  the  battle,  being  1,500.00 
for  each  command  .  .  121,000.00 

1889.  For  purchase  of  land,  etc.    .          .         20,000.00 
1889.   For  the  High- Water  Mark  monu 
ment    .          .          .          .          .  1,000.00 

1889.   Additional  memorial  tablets         .  4,500.00 

1889.  For  transportation  of  all  surviv 
ing  soldiers  residing  in  Pennsyl 
vania  who  participated  in  the 
battle 50,000.00 

1891.  For  printing  and  binding  38,000 

copies  of  Pennsylvania  at  Get 
tysburg  ....  43,877.22 


Gettysburg  Memorial  Association  199 

1891.  For  publishing  report  of  Commis 
sion.  .....  $3,000.00 

1891.   For  tablet  of  2ist  Regiment  of 

Pennsylvania  Cavalry     .          .  1,500.00 

1891.   For     monuments     to     Generals 

Meade,  Reynolds  and  Hancock       100,000.00 

1891.  For  memorial  to  mark  the  posi 
tion  of  the  26th  Pennsylvania 
Emergency  Regiment  .  .  1,500.00 

1891.   For  expenses  of  Commission         .  2,000.00 

1893.   For  maintaining  and  keeping  in 

repair  the  battle-field     .          .  5,000.00 

1893.  For  expenses  of  Gettysburg  Bat 
tle-field  Memorial  Association  .  2,000.00 

1893.   For    keeping    the    Pennsylvania 

monuments  in  repair       .          .  2,500.00 


Total      ....     $374,377-22 

DELAWARE 

For  monuments  of   ist  and   2d 

Regiments     ....  $850.00 

For  the  purchase  of  sites  of  mon 
uments,  etc.  .  .  .  500.00 

For  the  expenses  of  Committee 
and  state  officers  to  select  sites 
for  monuments  and  attending 
dedication  ceremonies  .  .  650.00 

1891.   For  High- Water  Mark  monument  200.00 

Total     ....         $2,200.00 


2OO 


The  National  Park 


MARYLAND 

1888.  Appropriation  for  the  erection  of 

monument-  r,nd  tablets 
For  the  purair.se  of  land  upon 
which  to  erect  t.:e  monuments 
and  tablets   . 


Total 


VEST  VIRGINIA 


1892.  Col.  John.  B.  Lr,aiclder 

1893.  Thomas  C.  Miller,  Secretary 


Total 


OHIO 


1885.  For  the  pc:-cli£se  of  land  upon 
wliic.i  to  erect  r,  rionument  to 
soklicrc  of  Ohio  v;ho  died  at 
•Gettysburg  .... 

3886.  Supplementary 

Total      .... 

INDIANA 

1885.   For  the  erection  of  monuments    . 
ILLINOIS 

1880.   For  regimental  monuments 
1880.  For  tne  Memorial  Association 


$5,000.00 


1,000.00 


$6,000.00 


$200.00 


$533-33 


...  5,000.00 
35,000.00 

$40,000.00 


v3,ooo.oo 


$5,000.00 
1,000.00 


Total 


$6,000.00 


Gettysburg  Memorial  Association  201 

MICHIGAN 

1887.  Memorial  Association  for  ground.       $  2,500.00 

1887.   Michigan  Cavalry  Brigade  monu 
ment    .....  5,400.00 

1887.  Seven  regiments  of  infantry, 

$1,350.00  each        .          .          .  9,450.00 

1887.  Battery  I,  First  Light  Artillery    .  1,000.00 

i GoQ.   Expenses  of  dedication       .          .  2,000.00 

1809.  Expenses  of  soldiers  attending 

dedication     ....  5,000.00 


Total      ....       $25,350.00 

WISCONSIN 

1888.   For  the  purchase  of  land    .          .         $1,500.00 

1888.  For  monument  to  each  of  the  six 

Wisconsin  regiments  .  .  6,000.00 

1888.  Company  G.  ist  U.  S.  Sharp 
shooters  ....  500.00 


Total      ....         $8,000.00 

MINNESOTA 

1873.  Gettysburg  Memorial  Association       $  1,000.00 
1893.   Additional  land          .          .          .  136.00 

1893.   Large    monument    and    bronze 

work,  ist  Regiment         .          .         16,384.00 
1893.  Small    monument     and    bronze 

worl:,  ist  Regiment 
1893.   Grading  and  sodding 
1891.   High- Water  Mark  monument 

Total      ....       $30,312.00 


2C2 


The  National  Park 


The    wliole    amount 
Maine        .          .         • 
New  Hampshire 
Vermont   .          .         .* 
Massachusetts    .          . 
Rhode  Island     . 
Connecticut        .         • 
New  York 
New  Jersey 
Pennsylvania     . 
Delaware  . 
Maryland 
West  Virginia    . 
Ohio 

Indiana     . 
Illinois 
Michigan  . 

Wisconsin          .         . 
Minnesota 


contributed    is    as    follows: 

$30,300.00 

4,500.00 

*7>953-oo 

30,000.00 

3,400-00 

5,700.00 

224,825.00 

44,225.00 

-       374,377-22 

...  2,200.00 

6,000.00 

533-33 

40,000.00 

3,000.00 

6,000.00 


8,000.00 
20,312.00 


Total 


$846,675.55 


APPENDIX  B 

WAR  DEPARTMENT 
OFFICE  OF  THE  SECRETARY 

WASHINGTON,  May  25, 1893. 

Order  No. — 

Colonel  John  P.  Nicholson  of  Pennsylvania, 
Colonel  John  B.  Bachelder  of  Massachusetts,  and 
General  William  H.  Forney  of  Alabama  are  appointed 
a  Commission,  under  the  authority  given  by  Act  of 
Congress  approved  March  3,  1893,  and  they  are 
directed  to  take  such  immediate  steps  as  the  laws 
permit  to  preserve  the  lines  of  battle  at  Gettysburg, 
Pennsylvania,  and  to  report  to  the  Secretary  of  War 
on  or  before  July  2oth,  next,  a  definite  plan  for  exe 
cuting,  within  the  limits  of  the  appropriation,  the 
further  provisions  of  that  law  relative  to  the  Gettys 
burg  Battle-field. 

DANIEL  S.  LAMONT, 
Secretary  of  War. 


APPENDIX  C 
WASHINGTON,  May  29th,  1893. 

COL.  JOHN  P.  NICHOLSON, 

Gettysburg  Battle-field  Commission. 

SIR:  Since  by  the  terms  of  the  act  making  provi 
sion  for  the  preservation  of  the  features  of  the  Gettys 
burg  battle-field  the  work  is  to  be  done  under  the 
direction  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  I  have  to  suggest 
that  the  Commission,  at  its  meeting  on  Wednesday, 
the  3ist  instant,  should  organize  by  the  election  of  a 
president,  who  shall  be  its  principal  executive  officer, 
not  only  in  its  recommendations  and  communications 
to  the  Department,  but  also  in  its  business  transac 
tions  and  dealings  with  the  public.  In  addition  to 
this  he  should  approve  all  vouchers  for  expenditures 
which  are  submitted  to  the  Department  for  payment. 

It  is  my  judgment  that  the  Commission  should 
establish  its  principal  office  at  Gettysburg,  and  that 
it  should  transact  its  business  at  that  point.  To 
that  end  you  are  hereby  authorized  to  hire  suitable 
office  rooms  in  the  town  of  Gettysburg,  the  lease 
of  which  shall  become  effective  from  July  ist,  proximo. 
As  it  is  probable  that  you  will  find  some  clerical  and 
technical  assistance  necessary  in  the  prosecution  of 

your  work,  you  will  please  submit  such  recommenda- 

204 


Gettysburg  Memorial  Association  205 

tions  in  reference  thereto  as  you  may  find  necessary 
in  the  public  interests.  Authority  is  hereby  granted 
for  the  purchase  of  office  furniture  not  exceeding 
$250  in  cost,  and  for  the  purchase  in  open  market 
of  such  instruments  and  surveying  material  as  may 
be  necessary  for  the  preliminary  location  of  the  lines 
of  battle.  You  are  also  authorized  to  procure  from 
the  Supply  Division  of  the  War  Department  and  from 
the  Government  Printing  Office  on  proper  requisi 
tions  such  stationery  and  blank  forms  as  may  be 
necessary  for  official  purposes. 

As  to  the  general  policy  of  the  Commission,  I  have 
to  request  that  its  immediate  work  shall  be  directed 
to  the  preservation  of  the  lines  and  evidences  of 
battle,  and  tV.t  no  plan  shall  be  entered  upon  involv 
ing  ihe  outlay  of  money  which  would  in  its  execution 
exceed  the  limit  of  the  present  appropriation.  I 
believe  that  t!:e  practice  hitherto  pursued  by  the 
Battle-field  Memorial  Association  of  purchasing 
strips  and  small  parcels  of  land  rather  than  large 
areas  should  continue  to  prevail  unless  Congress 
otherwise  directs. 

In  vicv  of  the  fact  that  the  positions  of  the  various 
organizations  of  the  Union  and  Confederate  armies 
have  already  been  determined  with  substantial 
accuracy,  it  is  not  believed  that  many  questions  will 
arise  as  to  which  there  is  likely  to  be  serious  difference 
of  opinion.  Shor.ld  differences  arise,  however,  in 
regard  to  the  acquisition  or  ownership  of  land,  the 
position  of  troops,  or  any  other  subject  of  importance, 


206  The  National  Park 

it  is  my  desire  that  they  be  so  carefully  and  exhaus 
tively  considered,  from  all  points  of  view,  as  to  result 
in  a  unanimous  recommendation  on  the  part  of  the 
Commission. 

In  conclusion,  I  venture  to  express  the  hope  that 
the  work  entrusted  to  your  hands  will  be  brought  to 
an  early  and  satisfactory  conclusion. 
Very  respectfully, 

DANIEL  S.  LAMONT, 

Secretary  of  War. 


APPENDIX  D 

AN  ACT  TO  ESTABLISH  A  NATIONAL  MILITARY  PARK  AT 
GETTYSBURG,  PENNSYLVANIA 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representa 
tives  of  the  United  States  of  America  in  Congress 
assembled,  That  the  Secretary  of  War  is  hereby  au 
thorized  to  receive  from  the  Gettysburg  Battle-field 
Memorial  Association,  a  corporation  chartered  by 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  a  deed  of  conveyance  to 
the  United  States  of  all  the  lands  belonging  to  said 
association,  embracing  about  eight  hundred  acres, 
more  or  less,  and  being  a  considerable  part  of  the 
battle-field  of  Gettysburg,  together  v/ith  all  rights  of 
way  over  avenues  through  said  lands  acquired  by 
said  association,  and  all  improvements  made  by  it  in 
and  upon  the  same.  Upon  the  due  execution  and 
delivery  to  the  Secretary  of  War  of  such  deed  of  con 
veyance,  the  Secretary  of  War  is  authorized  to  pay 
to  the  said  Battle-field  Memorial  Association  the  sum 
of  two  thousand  dollars,  or  so  much  thereof  as  may 
be  necessary  to  discharge  the  debts  of  said  association, 
the  amount  of  such  debts  to  be  verified  by  the  officers 
thereof,  and  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars  is  hereby 
appropriated  out  of  any  money  in  the  treasury  not 
otherwise  appropriated  to  meet  and  defray  such 

charges. 

207 


208  The  National  Park 

SEC.  2.  That  as  soon  as  the  lands  aforesaid  shall 
be  conveyed  to  the  United  States  the  Secretary  of 
War  shall  take  possession  of  the  same,  and  such  other 
lands  on  the  battle-field  as  the  United  States  have 
acquired,  or  shall  hereafter  acquire,  by  purchase  or 
condemnation  proceedings;  and  the  lands  aforesaid 
shall  be  designated  and  known  as  the  "  Gettysburg 
National  Park." 

SEC.  3.     That  the  Gettysburg  National  Park  shall, 
subject  to  the  supervision  and  direction  of  the  Secre 
tary  of  War,  be  in  charge  of  the  Commissioners  here 
tofore  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  War  for  the 
location  and  acquisition  of  lands  at  Gettysburg,  and 
their  successors;  the  said  Commissioners  shall  have 
their  office  at  Gettysburg,  and  while  on  duty  shall  be 
paid  such  compensation  out  of  the  appropriation  pro 
vided  in  this  act  as  the  Secretary  of  War  shall  deem 
reasonable  and  just.     And  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 
said  Commissioners,  under  the  direction  of  the  Secre 
tary  of  War,  to  superintend  the  opening  of  such  ad 
ditional  roads  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  purposes 
of  the  park  and  for  the  improvement  of  the  avenues 
heretofore  laid  out  therein,  and  to  properly  mark  the 
boundaries  of  the  said  park,  and  to  ascertain  and  defi 
nitely  mark  the  lines  of  battle  of  all  troops  engaged  in 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  so  far  as  the  same  shall  fall 
within  the  limits  of  the  park. 

SEC.  4.  That  the  Secretary  of  War  is  hereby 
authorized  and  directed  to  acquire,  at  such  times  and 
in  such  manner  as  he  may  deem  best  calculated  to 


The  Act  Establishing  Park        209 

serve  the  public  interest,  such  lands  in  the  vicinity 
of  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  not  exceeding  in  area 
the  parcels  shown  on  the  map  prepared  by  Major- 
General  Daniel  E.  Sickles,  United  States  Army,  and 
now  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 
which  were  occupied  by  the  infantry,  cavalry  and 
artillery  on  the  first,  second  and  third  days  of  July, 
eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-three,  and  such  other 
adjacent  lands  as  he  may  deem  necessary  to  preserve 
the  important  topographical  features  of  the  battle 
field;  Provided,  That  nothing  contained  in  this  act 
shall  be  deemed  and  held  to  prejudice  the  rights 
acquired  by  any  State  or  by  any  military  organization 
to  the  ground  on  which  its  monuments  or  markers 
are  placed,  nor  the  right  of  way  to  the  same. 

SEC.  5.  That  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  the  lands 
designated  and  described  in  the  foregoing  section  not 
already  acquired  and  owned  by  the  United  States 
and  such  other  adjacent  land  as  may  be  deemed 
necessary  by  the  Secretary  of  War  for  the  preservation, 
and  marking  of  the  lines  of  battle  of  the  Union  and 
Confederate  armies  at  Gettysburg,  the  Secretary  of 
War  is  authorized  to  employ  the  services  of  the  Com 
missioners  heretofore  appointed  by  him  for  the 
location,  who  shall  proceed,  in  conformity  with  his 
instructions  and  subject  in  all  things  to  his  approval, 
to  acquire  such  lands  by  purchase,  or  by  condemna 
tion  proceedings,  to  be  taken  by  the  Attorney- General 
in  behalf  of  the  United  States,  in  any  case  in  which 
it  shall  be  ascertained  that  the  same  can  not  be 


210  The  National  Park 

purchased  at  prices  deemed  reasonable  and  just  by 
the  said  Commissioners  and  approved  by  the  Secre 
tary  of  War.  And  such  condemnation  proceedings 
may  be  taken  pursuant  to  the  act  of  Congress  ap 
proved  August  first,  eighteen  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight,  regulating  the  condemnation  of  land  for  public 
uses,  or  the  joint  resolution  authorizing  the  purchase 
or  condemnation  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Gettysburg, 
Pennsylvania,  approved  June  fifth,  eighteen  hundred 
and  ninety-four. 

SEC.  6.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary 
of  War  to  establish  and  enforce  proper  regulations  for 
the  custody,  preservation,  and  care  of  the  monuments 
now  erected  or  which  may  be  hereafter  erected  within 
the  limits  of  the  said  national  military  park ;  and  such 
rules  shall  provide  for  convenient  access  by  visitors 
to  all  such  monuments  within  the  park,  and  the  ground 
included  therein,  on  such  days  and  within  such  hours 
as  may  be  designated  and  authorized  by  the  Secretary 
of  War. 

SEC.  7.  That  if  any  person  shall  destroy,  mutilate, 
deface,  injure,  or  remove,  except  by  permission  of  the 
Secretary  of  War,  any  column,  statue,  memorial 
structure,  or  work  of  art  that  shall  be  erected  or 
placed  upon  the  grounds  of  the  park  by  lawful  author 
ity,  or  shall  destroy  or  remove  any  fence,  railing, 
inclosure,  or  other  work  for  the  protection  or  orna 
ment  of  said  park  or  any  portion  thereof,  or  shall  de 
stroy,  cut,  hack,  bark,  break  down,  or  otherwise  injure 
any  tree,  bush,  or  shrubbery  that  may  be  growing 


The  Act  Establishing  Park       211 

upon  said  park,  or  shall  cut  down  or  fell  or  remove 
any  timber,  battle  relic,  tree  or  trees,  growing  or 
being  upon  said  park,  or  hunt  within  the  limits  of  the 
park,  or  shall  remove  or  destroy  any  breastworks, 
earthworks,  walls,  or  other  defences  or  shelter  or  any 
part  thereof  constructed  by  the  armies  formerly 
engaged  in  the  battles  on  the  land  or  approaches  to 
the  park,  or  shall  violate  any  regulation  made  and 
published  by  the  Secretary  of  War  for  the  government 
of  visitors  within  the  limits  of  said  park,  any  person  so 
offending  and  found  guilty  thereof,  before  any  justice 
of  the  peace  of  the  county  in  which  the  offence  may 
be  committed,  shall,  for  each  and  every  such  offence, 
forfeit  and  pay  a  fine,  in  the  discretion  of  the  justice, 
according  to  the  aggravation  of  the  offence,  of  not  less 
than  five  nor  more  than  five  hundred  dollars,  one- 
half  for  the  use  of  the  park  and  the  other  half  to  the 
informer,  to  be  enforced  and  recovered  before  such 
justice  in  like  manner  as  debts  of  like  nature  are  now 
by  law  recoverable  in  the  county  where  the  offence 
may  be  committed. 

SEC.  8.  That  the  Secretary  of  War  is  hereby  au 
thorized  and  directed  to  cause  to  be  made  a  suitable 
bronze  tablet,  containing  on  it  the  address  delivered 
by  Abraham  Lincoln,  President  of  the  United  States, 
at  Gettysburg  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  November, 
eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-three,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  dedication  of  the  national  cemetery  at  that  place* 
and  such  tablet,  having  on  it  besides  the  address  a 
medallion  likeness  of  President  Lincoln,  shall  be 


2i2  The  National  Park 

erected  on  the  most  suitable  site  within  the  limits  of 
said  park;  which  said  address  was  in  the  following 
words,  to  wit: 

"  Four  score  and  seven  years  ago  our  fathers  brought 
forth  upon  this  continent  a  new  nation,  conceived  in 
liberty  and  dedicated  to  the  proposition  that  all  men 
are  created  equal. 

"Now  we  are  engaged  in  a  great  civil  war,  testing 
whether  that  nation,  or  any  nation  so  conceived  and 
so  dedicated,  can  long  endure.  We  are  met  on  a 
great  battle-field  of  that  war.  We  have  come  to 
dedicate  a  portion  of  that  field  as  a  final  resting  place 
for  those  who  here  gave  their  lives  that  that  nation 
might  live.  It  is  altogether  fitting  and  proper  that 
we  should  do  this. 

"  But,  in  a  larger  sense,  we  cannot  dedicate,  we  can 
not  consecrate,  we  cannot  hallow  this  ground.  The 
brave  men,  living  and  dead,  who  struggled  here,  have 
consecrated  it  far  above  our  poor  power  to  add  or 
detract.  The  world  will  little  note,  nor  long  remem 
ber,  what  we  say  here;  but  it  can  never  forget  what 
they  did  here.  It  is  for  us,  the  living,  rather  to  be 
dedicated  here  to  the  unfinished  work  which  they 
who  fought  here  have  thus  far  so  nobly  advanced. 
It  is  rather  for  us  to  be  here  dedicated  to  the  great 
task  remaining  before  us;  that  from  these  honored 
dead  we  take  increased  devotion  to  that  cause  for 
which  they  gave  the  last  full  measure  of  devotion; 
that  we  here  highly  resolve  that  these  dead  shall  not 
have  died  in  vain ;  that  this  nation,  under  God,  shall 


The  Act  Establishing  Park       213 

have  a  new  birth  of  freedom,  and  that  government 
of  the  people,  by  the  people,  for  the  people,  shall  not 
perish  from  the  earth." 

And  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars,  or  so  much 
thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  is  hereby  appropriated, 
out  of  any  money  in  the  treasury  not  otherwise 
appropriated,  to  pay  the  cost  of  said  tablet  and  me 
dallion  and  pedestal. 

SEC.  9.  That,  to  enable  the  Secretary  of  War  to 
carry  out  the  purposes  of  this  act,  including  the  pur 
chase  or  condemnation  of  the  land  described  in  sections 
four  and  five  of  this  act,  opening,  improving,  and 
repairing  necessary  roads  and  avenues,  providing 
surveys  and  maps,  suitably  marking  the  boundaries 
of  the  park,  and  for  the  pay  and  expenses  of  the  Com 
missioners  and  their  assistants,  the  sum  of  seventy- 
five  thousand  dollars,  or  so  much  thereof  as  may  be 
necessary,  is  hereby  appropriated,  out  of  any  money 
in  the  Treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated;  and  all 
disbursements  made  under  this  act  shall  require  the 
approval  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  who  shall  make 
annual  report  of  the  same  to  Congress. 

Approved,  February  n,  1895. 


INDEX 


Alexander,  Gen.  E.  P.,  53,  64 
Ames,  Gen.  Adelbert,  34 
Andrew,  Hon.  John  A.,  117, 

124 
Appropriations    of    Congress 

for  the  National  Park,  185 
Archer,  Gen.  J.  J.,  23 
Archer's  brigade  captured,  23 
Armistead,   Gen.   L.   A.,   53, 

56,  i54 

Army  of  Northern  Virginia, 
reorganized  after  the  bat 
tle  of  Chancellorsville,  4; 
strength  at  Gettysburg,  4, 
63;  position  June  30,  16; 
losses  in  the  battle,  63 

Army  of  the  Potomac,  reor 
ganized  after  the  battle  of 
Chancellorsville,  3 ;  strength 
at  Gettysburg,  4,  63;  posi 
tion  June  26,  14;  position 
June  30,  17;  position  July 
2,  34,  35;  losses  at  Gettys 
burg,  63 

Arnold,  George,  146,  190 

Arnold,  I.  N.,  99 

Averill,  Gen.,  3 


B 


Bachelder,  John  B.,  150,  152, 
154,  159, 163, 187, 191, 203 
Bancroft,  Hon.  George,  129 
Barlow,  Gen.  F.  C.,  27 


Barnham,  Gen.  H.  A.;  192 
Batterson,  J.  G.,  139 
Baugher,  Rev.  Dr.  H.  L.;  107, 

120 

Beaver,  Gen.  J.  A.,  192 
Beecher,  Henry  Ward,  139 
Bell,  Maj.  Robert,  191 
Berry,  Col.  John  S.,  136 
Birney,  Gen.  D.  B.,  40,  44 
Blair,  Hon.  Montgomery,  95, 

106 

Bliss,  Col.  Alexander,  129 
Bond,  George  W.,  117 
Briggs,  Col.  G.  C.,  192 
Brook-Rawle,  Lieut. -Col.  Wil 
liam,  59 

Brooks,  Noah,  100 
Brown,  L.  W.,  136 
Bucktail  Brigade,  180 
Buehler,  A.  D.,  190,  192 
Buehler,  Col.  C.  H.,  191 
Buford  Avenue,  174,  175,  180 
Buford,   Gen.    N.    B.,   3;   at 
Brandy  Station,   10;  com 
mands  First  Division  Cav 
alry  Corps,  16;  approaches 
Gettysburg,  1 8 ;  position  on 
the  morning  of  July  i,  19; 
checks  Hill's  advance  until 
the  arrival  of  First  Corps, 
20-23 

Burials  at  Gettysburg,  138 
Burns,  John,  23 
Butterfield,  Gen.  Daniel,  36, 
44 


215 


2l6 


Index 


Carey,  Henry  C.,  190 

Carlisle,  13 

Carman  Avenue,  186 

Carr,  Gen.  J.  B.,  192 

Cashtown,  13 

Cavalry  Corps  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  3,  10,  16 

Cemetery  at  Gettysburg  es 
tablished,  8 1-86;  arrange 
ments  for  its  consecration, 
87-94;  provisions  for  its 
completion  and  mainte 
nance,  136-140 

Chamberlain  Avenue,  179 

Chamberlain,  Gen.  J.  L.,  43, 
191 

Chambersburg,  12,  13 

Chase,  Hon.  S.  P.,  92,  93 

Coit,  Alfred,  136 

Colgrove  Avenue,  186 

Colgrove,  Col.  Silas,  192 

Comte  de  Paris,  54 

Confederate     Avenue,      166, 

J75>  *79 

Confederates  visit  the  battle 
field,  151,  168 
Connecticut's  expenditures  at 

Gettysburg,  196 
Cope,  Lieut. -Col.  E.  B.,   165, 

171,  178,  187,  188 
Couch,  Gen.  D.  N.,  16,  75,  76 
Crawford  Avenue,  174,  179 
Crawford,  Gen.  S.  W.,  191 
Curtin,  Hon.  A.  G.,  13,  81 ,  82, 

84,  87,  92,  136 
Custer,  Gen.  G.  A.,  59,  61 
Cutler,  Gen.  L.,  22,  23 

D 

Banner,  Joel  B.,  190 
Davis,  Gen.  J.  R.,  22,  23 


Davis,  Jefferson,  109,  no 
Delaney,  Alfred,  119 
Delaware's    expenditures    at 

Gettysburg,  199 
De  Peyster,  Gen.  J.  W.,  190 
Detwiler,  S.  B.,  181 
Devin,  Gen.  T.  C.,  19 
Doubleday  Avenue,  186 
Doubleday,  Gen.  Abner,  24, 

26,  27,  45 

Douglas,  James,  134,  135 
Dudley,  Col.  W.  W.,  192 
Dume,  Gen.  A.  N.,  3,  10 


East  Confederate  Avenue, 
176,  177 

Edwards,  Henry,  117,  136 

Everett,  Hon.  Edward,  87, 
88,  89,  91,  92,  95,  100,  106, 
107,  108-113, 122, 123, 127 

Ewell,  Gen.  R.  S.,  in  com 
mand  of  the  Second  Corps, 
4;  leaves  Culpeper,  10; 
attacks  Milroy,  n;  in 
Pennsylvania,  13  ;hismove- 
ments  arouse  the  people  as 
to  the  danger  that  threat 
ens  them,  13;  approaches 
Gettysburg,  and  becomes 
involved  in  the  battle  Heth 
had  opened,  26;  occupies 
Gettysburg,  28 ;  is  criticised 
by  Longstreet,  43;  his  ef 
forts  upon  the  Union  right 
unsuccessful,  44,  47;  his 
battle-line,  177 


Fairchild,  Gen.  Lucius,  192 
Farnsworth,  Gen.  E.  J.,  61, 
62 


Index 


217 


Fish,  Mrs.  Gov.,  128 
Forney,    Gen.    William    H., 

163,  168,  203 

Fremantle,  Lieut. -Col.,  56,  57 
French,  B.  B.,  107,  113 
French,  Gen.  W.  H.,  46.  73 


Gamble,  Col.  William,  19,  21 
Garlington,  Col.  E.  A.,  183 
Garnett,  Gen.  R.  B.,  53,  56 
Geary,  Gen.  John  W.,  34,  43, 

47,  146,  190 

Gettysburg  Battle-field    Me 
morial    Association,     143- 
162 
Gettysburg    Electric   R.    R., 

167,  168 
Gettysburg     National     Park 

Commission,  163-189 
Gibbon,  Gen.  John,  34,   44, 

54,  55 

Goldsbo rough,  C.  E.,  192 

Graham,  C.  K.,  190 

Greene,  Gen.  G.  S.,  193 

Greenwood,  13 

Gregg,  Gen.  David  McM.,  3: 
at  Brandy  Station,  10; 
commands  Second  Divi 
sion  of  the  Cavalry  Corps, 
16;  assists  in  checking 
Johnson's  advance  on  the 
Union  right,  July  2,  44; 
repulses  attack  of  Stuart's 
cavalry,  July  3,  59-61; 
services  of  cavalry  under 
Gregg  recognized,  153  ; 
member  of  the  Gettysburg 
Battle-field  Memorial  Asso 
ciation,  192 

Gregg,  Gen.  J.  Irvin,  59 


H 

Hagerstown,  12 

Hale,  Hon.  Charles,  117,  118, 

124 

Halleck.  Gen.  H.  W.,  makes 
suggestion  to  Hooker  con 
cerning     the     Gettysburg 
campaign,   8;  his  instruc 
tions  to  Gen.  Meade  when 
Meade      succeeded      Gen. 
Hooker,  1 5 ;  informs  Meade 
of  the  President's  desire  to 
have  the  victory  at  Gettys 
burg    followed    up    vigor 
ously,    71;    expresses   the 
President 's  disappointment 
at  Lee's  escape,  72 
Hamilton,  Calvin,  192 
Hammond,  S.  A.,  187 
Hampton,  Gen.  Wade,  59 
Hancock,  Gen.  W.  S.,  in  com 
mand  of  the  Second  Corps, 
3;   ordered   by    Meade   to 
take  command  at  Gettys 
burg,  and  reaches  the  field 
about  4-30,  P-M-,  July  J» 
28;  reports  to  Meade,  30, 
31;  attends  council  of  war, 
44;  wounded  in   Pickett's 
charge,    and   urges   Union 
advance  after  Pickett's  fail 
ure,  67;  equestrian  statue 
of,  dedicated,  171;  member 
of  Gettysburg  Battle-field 
Memorial  Association,  191 
Hapgood,  Norman,  134 
Harper's  Ferry,  14 
Hartranft,  Gen.  J.  F.,  190 
Hastings,  Gen.  D.  S.,  193 
Hay,  Col.  John,  95,  131 
Hays,  Gen.  Alexander,  34 


218 


Index 


Hazlett,  Lieut.  Charles  £.,42 

Hazzard,  Maj.  C.  W.,  191 

Heister,  A.  D.,  190 

Heth's  division  of  Hill's 
Corps  approaches  Gettys 
burg  June  30,  18;  returns 
on  the  morning  of  July  i, 
and  opens  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg,  22 

Heth,  Gen.  Harry,  19,  22,  23, 
168 

High-Water  Mark  monument, 

iS7.  r58 

Hill,  Gen.  A.  P.,  in  command 
of  the  Third  Corps,  4;  in 
the    first     day's    fight    at 
Gettysburg,  19,  27,  32;  in 
the  second  day's  fight,  39, 
43 ;  his  artillery  in  the  third 
day's  fight,  50 
Hirsh,  W.  M.,  190 
Holtzworth,  W.  S.,  192 
Hood's  division,  48,  49 
Hooker,   Gen.   Joseph,   reor 
ganizes  the   Army  of  the 
Potomac,  3;  plan  of  cam 
paign,     6-8;     preliminary 
movements,  8;  leaves  Fred- 
ericksburg,  1 1 :  follows  Lee 
into  Maryland,  and  is  re 
lieved  of  the  command  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
at  his  own  request,  14 
Homers,  Charles,  190,  191 
Howard  Avenue,  175 
Howard,  Gen.  O.  O.  in  com 
mand     of     the     Eleventh 
Corps,   3;  reaches  Gettys 
burg    and    assumes    com 
mand  of  the  troops  on  the 
death     of     Reynolds,     24; 
establishes    his    headquar 


ters  at  the  Cemetery,  25;  in 
command  of  the  field  until 
about  4.30  P.M.,  28;  orders 
the  First  and  Eleventh 
Corps  to  fall  back  to  Ceme 
tery  Hill,  27;  selects  the 
position  for  the  troops  on 
retiring,  28,  29;  at  the 
council  of  war,  44 ;  delivers 
address  at  the  laying  of  the 
corner  -  stone  of  the  na 
tional  monument  at  Gettys 
burg,  139 

Hoyt,  Gen.  H.  M.,  190 
Humphrey,  Gen.  A.  A.,  40,  41 
Hunt,  Gen.  Henry  J.,  3 ;  asked 
by  Meade  to  examine  Sick 
les 's  proposed  line  in  the 
direction  of  the  Peach  Or 
chard,  36,  37;  his  artillery 
in    connection    with  Pick- 
ett's  charge,  51,  52 


Illinois's  expenditures  at  Get 
tysburg,  200 

Indiana's  expenditures  at 
Gettysburg,  200 

Iron  Brigade,  23 


Jackson,  Gen.  T.  J.,  41 
Jacobs,  Prof.  M.,  32,  35,  62 1 
68 

K 

Keenan,  Col.  T.  S.,  168 
Kemper,  Gen.  J.  L.,  53 
Kennedy,  Hon.  John  P.,  129 
Kilpatrick,  Gen.  Judson,  15, 
16,  59,  61,  62 


Index 


219 


Lambert,  Maj.  W.  H.,  104 
Lamon,  Hon.  Ward  H.,  122 
Lament,  Hon.  Daniel  S.,  163, 

206 

Lane,  Gen.  J.  H.,  53 
Lee,  Gen.  Fitzhugh,  59 
Lee,  Gen.  R.  E.,  reorganizes 
the  Army  of  Northern  Vir 
ginia,  4;  plans  an  invasion 
of  Maryland,  4;  concen 
trates  his  army  at  Culpeper, 
6;  reviews  Stuart's  cavalry 
at  Brandy  Station,  9; 
crosses  the  Potomac,  12', 
concentrates  his  army  at 
Hagerstown,  12;  then  at 
Cashtown,  13;  sets  his  col 
umns  in  motion  and  hurries 
to  Gettysburg,  20;  reaches 
the  field,  29;  decides  to 
attack  Meade,  30;  does  not 
accept  Longstreet's  sug 
gestion  to  file  round  the 
Union  right,  35;  his  plan 
for  July  2,  38,  39 ;  his  report 
of  the  fight  at  the  Peach 
Orchard,  40;  comment  on 
the  second  day's  fight,  45; 
arrangements  for  the  third 
day's  fight,  47-5°;  wit 
nesses  the  failure  of  Pick- 
ett's  charge,  57;  his  losses 
at  Gettysburg,  63;  orders  a 
retreat,  67;  succeeds  in 
getting  his  army  across  the 
Potomac,  73;  disappointed 
at  the  results  of  the  cam 
paign,  76 

Lee,  Gen.  W.  H.  P.,  59 
Lewis,  Gen.,  168 


Lincoln,  Abraham,  writes  to 
Gen.  Hooker  concerning 
the  campaign  about  to 
open,  7,  8;  disappointed  at 
Gen.  Meade 's  failure  to 
follow  up  his  victory  at 
Gettysburg,  68 ;  appoints 
Meade  a  Brigadier-General 
in  the  Regular  Army,  70; 
added  disappointment,  73; 
letter  to  Meade,  74-76;  is 
invited  to  be  present  at  the 
consecration  of  the  ceme 
tery  at  Gettysburg,  and 
make  a  brief  address,  90, 
91;  accepts,  92;  the  ar 
rangements  for  the  journey, 
93,94;  brief  evening  speech, 
96;  continues  work  on  his 
address,  98;  no  attention 
given  to  the  address  on  the 
way  to  Gettysburg,  99 ;  the 
first  draft  of  the  address, 
10 1,  105;  attends  the  con 
secration  service,  106;  de 
livers  his  address,  114-116; 
Hon.  Charles  Hale's  report 
of  the  address,  118, 119;  the 
return  to  Washington,  121; 
impression  made  by  the 
address,  122-125;  Mr.  Lin 
coln  revises  his  address, 
126-132;  high  character  of 
the  address,  133;  the  clos 
ing  words  not  borrowed, 
J34»  I35J  tne  address  re 
corded  in  bronze  on  the 
national  monument  in  the 
National  Cemetery  at  Get 
tysburg,  140;  Congress 
appropriates  money  for 
a  tablet  at  Gettysburg 


22O 


Index 


containing  the  address, 
170,  211-213 
Linehan,  J.  C.,  192 
Lofland,  Col.  Gordon,  136 
Lomax,  Gen.  J.  J.,  182,  187 
Longstreet,  Gen.  James,  in 
command  of  the  First 
Corps,  4;  leaves  Culpeper, 
12;  position  of  his  corps 
June  30,  17;  sets  his  corps 
in  motion  for  Gettysburg 
July  i,  19;  reaches  Gettys 
burg  in  advance  of  his 
troops,  and  with  Lee  ex 
amines  the  position  of  the 
Union  army,  29;  his  sug 
gestion  as  to  the  plan  to  be 
adopted  not  accepted  by 
Lee,  35;  his  statement  con 
cerning  Sickles 's  position 
at  the  Peach  Orchard,  37 
(note) ;  receives  Lee's  order 
for  July  2,  39;  criticism  of 
Hill  and  Ewell,  43;  com 
ment  on  the  second  day's 
fight,  45;  objects  to  Pick- 
ett's  charge,  48,  49;  gives 
the  order  reluctantly,  53; 
witnesses  the  disastrous 
result,  57;  expects  an  im 
mediate  Union  advance, 
62;  not  disobedient  at 
Gettysburg,  64 

M 

MacVeagh,  Wayne,  96 

Maine's  expenditures  at  Get 
tysburg,  193 

Maps  of  the  battle-field,  178, 
179 

Maryland  Musical  Associa 
tion,  113 


Maryland's   expenditures   at 

Gettysburg,  201 
Mason,  Hon.  L.  B.,  136 
Massachusetts'    expenditures 

at  Gettysburg,  195 
Mattern,  H.  W.,  188 
Maury,  Lieut.  M.  F.,  135 
McAllister,  H.  N.,  190 
McClellan,  Gen.  G.  B.,  68 
McConaughy,     David,      146, 

147,  190 

McCreary,  R.  G.,  190,  191 
Mclntosh,  Gen.  J.  B.,  59 
McLaws's  division,  48,  49 
McPherson,    Hon.     Edward, 

104,  190,  192 
McSwope,  S.,  192 
Meade  Avenue,  174 
Meade,  Gen.  G.  C.,  in  com 
mand  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  3 ; 
succeeds  Hooker  in  com 
mand  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  15;  moves  the 
army  northward,  16;  his 
order  for  July  i,  20;  is  in 
formed  of  the  situation  at 
Gettysburg  by  Hancock, 
30;  decides  to  accept  Lee's 
challenge  and  reports  to 
Gen.  Halleck,  31,  32  ; 
reaches  Gettysburg  at  i 
A.M.,  July  2,  34;  order  for 
examination  of  roads  in  the 
rear  probably  misunder 
stood  by  Gen.  Butterfield, 
36;  is  asked  by  Gen.  Sick 
les  to  determine  his  posi 
tion,  36 ;  his  statement  with 
reference  to  Sickles 's  line, 
38;  sends  Gen.  Warren  to 
Little  Round  Top,  41; 
holds  a  council  of  war,  44; 


Index 


221 


prepares  to  continue  the 
struggle,  45;  takes  pre 
cautionary  measures,  46; 
anxiety  as  to  his  right,  47; 
strength  of  his  artillery  in 
connection  with  Pickett's 
charge,  51;  prisoners  and 
colors  taken  in  this  charge, 
55;  makes  no  counter 
charge,  62,  63;  losses  at 
Gettysburg  and  prisoners 
captured,  63 ;  announces 
his  victory,  66;  fails  to 
follow  up  the  victory,  67; 
discovers  Lee's  retreat,  and 
follows,  69 ;  objects  to  prod- 
dings  from  Washington,  7 1 ; 
asks  to  be  relieved  of  his 
command,  but  the  request 
is  not  granted,  74;  is  in 
vited  to  be  present  at  the 
consecration  of  the  ceme 
tery  at  Gettysburg,  89; 
delivers  the  address  at  the 
dedication  of  the  national 
monument  at  Gettysburg, 
89;  equestrian  statue  of 
Meade  dedicated,  171 
Meredith,  Gen.  Solomon,  2  2, 2  3 
Michigan's  expenditures  at 

Gettysburg,  201 
Miller,  Capt.  W.  E.,  192 
Milroy,  Gen.  R.  H.,  10,  n 
Minnesota's  expenditures  at 

Gettysburg,  201 
Monument    of    the    Second 

Massachusetts,  149 
Morton,  Hon.  O.  P.,  139 

N 

National  monument  at  Get 
tysburg,  139,  140 


National  Park  at  Gettysburg, 

its  development,   143-162; 

act  establishing  it,  207-213 
New    Hampshire's    expendi 
tures  at  Gettysburg,    193; 

194 
New  Jersey's  expenditures  at 

Gettysburg,  197,  198 
New  York's  expenditures  at 

Gettysburg,  197 
Newton,  Gen.  John,  44 
Nicholson,    Lieut.-Col.    John 

P.,  131,  163,  187,  193,  203, 

204 
Nicolay,   John   G.,   95,    100, 

101,    102,    103,    104,    106, 

113,  126,  129,  135 
Norris,  Hon.  B.  W.,  136 
North   Confederate   Avenue, 

186 


Ohio's  expenditures  at  Get 
tysburg,  200 
O'Rorke,  Col.  P.  H.,  42 


Paris,  Comte  de,  54 
Parker,  Theodore,  134 
Pattison,  Gov.  R.  E.,  191 
Peach  Orchard  line  and  fight, 

36-40 

Pender,  Gen.  W.  D.,  19 
Pendleton,  Gen.  W.  N.,  4 
Pennsylvania       Department 
G.   A.   R.   at   Gettysburg, 
147,  148 

Pennsylvania  Legislature  in 
corporates  the  Gettysburg 
Battle-field  Memorial  Asso 
ciation,  143;  appropriates 


222 


Index 


money  for  the  purchase  of 
land  at  Gettysburg,  145; 
erects  sign-boards  locating 
the  position  of  her  regi 
ments  on  the  battle-field, 
152 ;  erects  equestrian  stat 
ues  to  Hancock  and  Meade, 
171;  and  to  Reynolds,  176 
Pennsylvania's  expenditures 

at  Gettysburg,  198,  199 
Percival,  James  G.,  119 
Pettigrew,  Gen.  J.  J.,  18,  53, 

55 

Pickett's  charge,  47-57,  X78 
Pierce,  Gen.  B.  R.,  192 
Pleasonton  Avenue,  174 
Pleasonton,  Gen.  Alfred, com 
mands   a   division   in   the 
cavalry  corps,  3;  engages 
Stuart's  cavalry  at  Brandy 
Station,  9,10;  urges  a  gen 
eral  advance  of  the  Union 
army  at  Gettysburg  after 
the    failure     of     Pickett's 
charge,  67 
Poore,  Ben  Perley,  99 

Q 

Quimby,  William  P.,  99 


Rea,  Capt.  J.  P.,  192 

Regular  Army  monuments 
and  markers,  181,  182 

Reynolds  Avenue,  174,  175, 
180,  186 

Reynolds,  Capt.  G.  H.,  146 

Reynolds,  Gen.  John  F.,  in 
command  of  the  First 
Corps,  3;  in  command  of 
the  left  wing  of  the  Army 


of  the  Potomac,  u;  pro 
ceeds  to  Emmittsburg,  16; 
to  Gettysburg,  21 ;  opposes 
the  approach  of  Hill's  corps 
and  is  killed,  22;  Everett's 
tribute,  112;  equestrian 
statue  at  Gettysburg  dedi 
cated,  176 
Rhode  Island's  expenditures 

at  Gettysburg,  196 
Rhodes,  Col.  E.  H.,  192 
Richardson,  Maj.  C.  A.,  187 
Ricketts,  Capt.  R.  B.,  146 
Robbins,   Maj.   W.   M.,   168, 

182,  187 

Robinson,  Gen.  J.  C.,  191 
Ruger,  Gen.  T.  H.,  47 
Russell,  Earl,  108 


Saunders,  William,  84 
Scales,  Gen.  A.  M.,  53 
Schenck,  Gen.  R.  C.,  u,  106 
Schick,  J.  L.,  190,  191 
Schurz,  Gen.  Carl,  24,  27,  34 
Scobey,  Hon.  Levi,  136 
Sedgwick  Avenue,  173,  174 
Sedgwick,  Gen.  John,  in  com 
mand  of  the  Sixth  Corps, 
3 ;  makes  reconnaissance  at 
Fredericksburg,  9 ;  ordered 
to  make  forced  march  to 
Gettysburg,     3 1 ;     attends 
council  of  war,  44,  45 ;  fol 
lows  Lee's  retreating  army 
toward   Fairfield,    69;   op 
poses   an   attack  on  Lee's 
army     at     the     Potomac 
crossing,  73 
Selleck,  W.  G.,  136 
Sellers,  Col.  E.  G.,  192 


Index 


223 


Seminary  Avenue,  172 
Seward,  Hon.  W.  H.,  95,  96, 

97,  99,  106 

Sickel,  Gen.  H.  G.,  190 
Sickles  Avenue,  172,  176 
Sickles,  Gen.  D.  E.,  in  com 
mand  of  the  Third  Corps, 
3;  is  hurried  towards  Get 
tysburg,  27;  reaches  the 
field,  34,  35;  severely  en 
gaged  on  the  left  of  Meade's 
line  on  the  afternoon  of 
July  2,  36-40;  director  of 
the  Gettysburg  Battle-field 
Memorial  Association,  192; 
prepares  map  of  land  ac 
quired  by  the  Association, 
209 

Sloat,  Col.  F.  D.,  192 
Slocum  Avenue,  172 
Slocum,  Gen.  Henry  W.,  in 
command  of  the  Twelfth 
Corps,  3 ;  attends  council  of 
war  at  Gettysburg,  44,  45; 
opposes  an  attack  on  Lee's 
army     at     the     Potomac 
crossing,     73 ;     equestrian 
statue  of  Slocum  dedicated, 
181;  headquarters  of,  183; 
director  of  the  Gettysburg 
Battle-field   Memorial   As 
sociation,  192 
Smith,  Gen.  W.  F.,  75 
Souder,  Edward,  190 
Stahel,  Gen.  Julius,  106 
Stannard,  Gen.  George,  191 
Stannard's  brigade  at  Gettys 
burg,  56 

Stanton,  Hon.  E.  M.,  93 
State  expenditures  at  Gettys 
burg,  202 
Steel  towers  erected,  171 


Steinwehr,  Gen.  Adolph  von, 

27,  34 
Stephenson,    Col.    John    G., 

136 

Stewart,  Lieut.  James,  146 
Stockton,  Rev.  Dr.  T.  H.,  107 
Stoneman,    Gen.    George,    3, 

106 

Stonewall  Brigade,  167 
Stuart,    Gen.    J.    E.    B.,    in 
command  of  Lee's  cavalry, 
4;  at  Brandy  Station,  10; 
starts     on     a     movement 
round  Hooker's  right,   12; 
rejoins  Lee  at  Gettysburg, 
50;  fails  to  reach  Meade's 
rear  at  the  time  of  Pickett's 
charge,  57-61 
Sykes  Avenue,  173,  179 
Sykes,  Gen.  George,  15,  35, 
44 


Tablets,  179,  180,  183 
Tate,  Col.  S.  McD.,  168 
Taylor,  Bayard,  139 
Taylor,  Col.,  148 
Taylor,  John,  191 
Tremain,  Gen.  Henry  E.,  25 
Trimble,  Gen.  I.  R.,  53,  62 

U 
Usher,  Hon.  J.  P.,  95,  106 

V 

Vanderslice,  J.  M.,  148,  155, 

161,  191 
Veazey,  Col.  W.  G.,  192 

Vermont's     expenditures     at 

Gettysburg,  194 
Vincent,  Gen.  Strong,  42,  148 


224 


Index 


w 

Wadsworth,  Gen.  James  S., 

21,  22,  25,  29,  34 
Wagner,  Gen.  Louis,  191 
Warren  Avenue,  179 
Warren,  Gen.  G.  K.,  41,  42, 

44 

Webb,  Gen.  A.  S.,  190,  193 
Webster,  Daniel,  135 
Weed,  Gen.  S.  H.,  42 
West  Virginia's  expenditures 

at  Gettysburg,  200 
Wiedrich,  Capt.  M.,  146 
Wilcox,  Gen.  C.  M.,  53,  55 


Williams,  Gen.  A.  S.,  44 

Wills,  David,  81,  82,  84,  85, 
86,  87,  88,  89,  92,  95,  97,  98, 
103,  104,  105,  126,  127,  136 

Wilson,  N.  G.,  150,  191 

Winchester,  10 

Wisconsin's  expenditures  at 
Gettysburg,  201 

Wise,  Capt.  H.  A.,  95 

Worral,  Col.  James,  136 


York,  13 

Young,  Col.  C.  L.^  192 


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